Raleigh, N.C. — A Wendell man who found a diamond ring in its box won the state Department of Transportation's "Most Unusual Litter" award during the agency's fall Litter Sweep.

Joseph Scoggins was clearing a section of N.C. Highway 231 in Wendell with a group from St. Eugene Catholic Church when he found the ring. Winning the contest earned him a $250 prize.

Birch McMurray of Morganton took second place and a $100 prize for a complete door knob set found along Bost Road in Burke County.

Veronica Sellars of Elkin and Jerry Jordan or Merry Hill tied for the $50 third-place award. Sellars created a “litter boy” from clothing, shoes, a hat, gloves and water bottle she discovered in downtown Elkin, while Jordan located a $200 20-inch chrome wheel and tire along Jamestown Road in Bertie County.

Other entries in the contest included a pool ball, a table lamp, a ceramic cow, a shopping cart, a stroller, a straw hat and an old car.

The contest is sponsored by the DOT, Keep North Carolina Beautiful and the North Carolina Beverage Association and is held during the fall and spring Litter Sweep cleanup events.