Less than one year after claiming a record-shattering $167 million Powerball Lottery jackpot, a Kentucky man has now been hit with a third arrest — this time on burglary and drug possession charges.
James Farthing, a 51-year-old from Georgetown, purchased his winning ticket in April 2025, making history by garnering the largest lottery prize ever awarded in the Bluegrass State. He shared his millions with his mother.
Four days after his win, while toasting his life-altering success on a Florida beach, he was arrested during a late-night altercation and accused of misdemeanor battery on a law enforcement officer. Body-cam footage obtained by LEX 18, a Kentucky news outlet, shows Farthing kicking an officer in the face, trying to flee and getting tased.
He pled guilty earlier this month and was sentenced to time served after a nine-day jail stint.
In February, the Kentucky man was arrested again on charges of intimidation in Georgetown after a woman called police “in fear for her life.”
Late in the evening on February 11, Scott County sheriff’s deputies were sent to a property in town after a woman dialed 911, claiming armed people were in her house. Police discovered a .380 caliber weapon in a dryer.
The woman told investigators that Farthing had picked her up from her Lexington abode for a prearranged meeting. He then allegedly attempted to pressure her into eating a “gummy.”
Farthing allegedly told police that the woman “had been perfectly fine prior to her disappearance from the group,” and that he had been searching for her when officers arrived on the scene. Legal proceedings in the case remain ongoing, and he is scheduled for an April court appearance.
On Friday, the Powerball winner was arrested for a third time, according to the Fayette County Detention Center. He was charged with second-degree burglary and marijuana possession.
Shortly after his lottery victory, Farthing told a local news outlet: “I’ve caused a lot of stress on her [my mom], you know, I’ve made some bad decisions in life, and you know, God’s been good because I’ve kept my faith and done right, and something’s happened good for me.”
