A Philadelphia woman angry about not winning the Pennsylvania Lottery is accused of making death threats against workers at the state Lottery headquarters in Lower Swatara Township last year.

Towanda Shields

A warrant has been issued by Lower Swatara Township police for the arrest of Towanda A. Shields, 47.

"She plays lottery a lot and gets very upset by the fact she doesn't win," said Detective Robert Appleby of Lower Swatara Township police.

Shields is accused of making the threats between April and December 2016. The threats came via phone calls and voice mails, police said.

"It seems she was completely obsessed with the lottery," Appleby said, and believed it was conspiring against her. "She was so relentless it was becoming a concern."

Shields is accused of giving specific dates she was going to kill people and told lottery workers she Googled where they live, police said.

One of the threats she is accused of is that "on Halloween, somebody's going to die," which was directed at Philadelphia lottery outlets, Appleby said.

"She went as far as saying she had paid some guys to hurt the people - she just kept pushing the issue," Appleby said. "The threats got worse and worse. She would be very graphic and vulgar."

She is also accused of taunting police that they wouldn't be able to catch her, since she was using "burner phones," Appleby said.

The woman said it was her freedom of speech to say what she wished to the lottery, he said.

Philadelphia police were notified, and Lower Swatara Township police worked with them in the investigation.

Warrants were issued for Shields on three counts of terroristic threats and 25 counts each of harassment and stalking.