Less than a year after winning a record-breaking $167 million Powerball lottery jackpot, a Kentucky man has been arrested for the third time, this time for burglary and drug possession charges.
James Farthing, a 51-year-old Georgetown resident, purchased his winning ticket in April 2025, creating history by winning the highest lottery jackpot ever awarded in the Bluegrass State. He shared his millions with his mother.
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Four days after winning, James Farthing was arrested in a late-night incident and charged with misdemeanor violence against a law enforcement officer while he celebrated his life-changing achievement on a Florida beach. Body camera footage released by LEX 18, a Kentucky news source, shows Farthing kicking an officer in the face, attempting to leave, and being tased.
He pleaded guilty earlier this month and was sentenced to time served following a nine-day jail stay.
In February, the Kentucky man was arrested again in Georgetown on charges of intimidation after a lady reported being “in fear for her life.”
Late in the evening on February 11, Scott County sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to a property in town after a lady called 911 and claimed there were armed persons inside her home. Police recovered a .380 caliber firearm in a dryer.
The woman told investigators that Farthing picked her up from her Lexington home for a prearranged meeting. He then allegedly tried to get her to consume a “gummy.”
Farthing allegedly told police that the woman “had been perfectly fine prior to her disappearance from the group” and that he was looking for her when officers arrived. The legal actions in the matter are still underway, and he is set to appear in court in April.
The Fayette County Detention Center reported that the Powerball winner was arrested for the third time on Friday. He was charged with second-degree burglary and possession of marijuana.
Shortly after winning the lotto, Farthing told a local news outlet, “I’ve caused a lot of stress on her [my mother], 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 good has happened for me.”
