$167 million Powerball winner James Farthing of Kentucky is in the news again for his sixth arrest since winning the jackpot in April of 2025.
This time, police arrested Farthing after finding him asleep and alone in a parked, running Ford Mustang at around 4:04 a.m. on Sunday, September 20. This was the second time he had been arrested in the past two months.
James Farthing was taken into custody in the parking lot of a Georgetown Walmart, according to court documents obtained by WKYT News.
According to police, someone reported seeing a white Ford Mustang with a temporary tag parked in the center of Cherry Blossom and Connector Road a little before 3 a.m. The vehicle then turned into and parked next to an EV charging station at the Walmart on Osborne Way.
Officers reportedly found the Mustang running and approached it, according to the arrest citation. The officers reportedly found Farthing dozing off in the passenger seat.
After knocking on the window for a few minutes, Farthing woke up, according to the officers, and smelled of alcohol and marijuana, and showed multiple signs of intoxication, including bloodshot and watery eyes, slurred speech and difficulty maintaining his balance. Officers described him as “manifestly under the influence of alcohol.”
He told police a woman had driven him there and dropped him off. However, WHAS News reports that surveillance footage examined by a different deputy purportedly showed the Mustang pulling into the parking lot before anyone got out before police came up.
Police took him to the Scott County Detention Center and charged the 51-year-old with being intoxicated in a public place (first and second offense).
Winning $167 million in the Powerball hasn’t been enough to keep him out of trouble with the law
James Farthing won a $167.3 million jackpot on April 26, 2025, after buying a $2 Powerball ticket from Clark’s Pump N Shop in Georgetown, Kentucky. Since then, he has been arrested at least six times.
One day after posing with his giant check for the Kentucky Lottery, he was jailed in Pinellas County, Florida, after reportedly kicking a police officer in the face at a club. Jacqueline Fightmaster, his then-girlfriend, was also jailed for allegedly attempting to fight patrons at the same bar.
In November 2025 he was indicted for hit-and-run when authorities charged him with Wanton Endangerment (first degree) and leaving the scene of an accident/failure to render aid or assistance
Police have arrested him at least four times in 2026 alone
Police also reportedly arrested him in February 2026 and charged him with intimidating a participant in the legal process.
Then, in March of 2026, authorities arrested Farthing on charges of second-degree burglary and possession of marijuana after surveillance footage purportedly showed him entering a property in Lexington, Kentucky.
In July, police arrested James Farthing after he allegedly got into an altercation with a woman. The warrant stated that the woman informed officers that she and Farthing got into a fight at his Scott County home after returning from a boating excursion.
The woman said that it turned physical and she was unable to breathe when Farthing put both of his hands on her neck. Police said there were obvious welts on the victim’s neck. Officers charged him with assault (domestic violence) and strangulation (domestic violence).
The Powerball winner had previously been found guilty of multiple offenses, such as drug trafficking, theft, receiving stolen property, escape, promoting contraband, tampering with physical evidence, and engaging in an organized crime syndicate.