Kentucky Powerball Winner Arrested for Fifth Time Since Jackpot Win

James Farthing, who won a $167 million Powerball jackpot, was arrested for the fifth time on Sunday after authorities found him asleep and intoxicated in the parking lot of a Walmart in Georgetown, Kentucky. This latest arrest brings the total number of criminal charges against Farthing to five since he claimed the state's largest-ever Powerball prize.

According to reports, police responded to a call about a vehicle stopped in an intersection just before 3 a.m. The vehicle was later observed parking in the Walmart lot. Upon arrival, officers found Farthing asleep in the running vehicle and had to repeatedly knock to wake him. An arrest citation indicated that Farthing showed several signs of impairment, including the smell of alcohol and marijuana, bloodshot and watery eyes, slurred speech, and difficulty maintaining balance.

Farthing reportedly told deputies that a woman drove him to the parking lot and left him, but surveillance footage did not show anyone exiting the Mustang after it parked. He was taken into custody on public intoxication charges and booked into the Scott County Detention Center. He is scheduled to be arraigned on these charges on Tuesday.

This incident marks the fifth time Farthing has faced criminal charges since winning the lottery. In late July, he was arrested on domestic violence charges for allegedly strangling a woman at his home. Prior to that, in November, he was charged in a hit-and-run incident in Lexington where he allegedly crashed his Corvette into another car and fled the scene. In February, he was charged with intimidating a participant in the legal process. Additionally, in April 2025, just days after his lottery win, he was arrested in Florida and charged with battery on a law enforcement officer for allegedly kicking a deputy in the head.

Farthing purchased the winning $2 Powerball ticket from Clark’s Pump N Shop in Georgetown, splitting the $167.3 million prize with his mother, Linda Grizzle.