From Powerball jackpot to prison: How a $167 million winner landed behind bars in just 2 days
One person’s luck ran out when they went from winning the Powerball jackpot to getting banged up just 48 hours later.
Luck can change in the blink of an eye, and nobody knows better than one Kentucky man who went from pocketing a $167.3 million jackpot to being put behind bars just 48 hours later.
According to reports, Farthing bought the $2 ticket just hours before the altercation and he was set to split the prize money, which totalled $167.3 million, a Kentucky Powerball prize record, with his mother.
He then went to lottery headquarters in Louisville, Kentucky, on Monday with his mother, Linda Grizzle, to claim their winnings. Grizzle was in a state of shock, and admitted to officials that she “would have never dreamed” of winning and that it “hasn’t sunken in yet.”
‘It’s going to be a good Mother’s Day’
“It’s going to be a good Mother’s Day,” Grizzle added “This is going to pay off my debt.”
However, that’s where the happy story ends.
A Georgetown mother and son have now claimed a record-breaking lottery win. Linda Grizzle and her son, Shannon Farthing, are splitting the $167 million prize, Kentucky Lottery announced on Monday: https://t.co/5jn9YCr64E pic.twitter.com/ZtlrwbbHGS
— LEX 18 News (@LEX18News) April 28, 2025
‘Yelling, screaming and making incoherent statements’
Pinellas County jail records showed that a 50-year-old James Farthing was arrested on Wednesday on charges of battery on a law enforcement officer, battery, and resisting an officer without violence. He reportedly got into an altercation at Island Grand at Tradewinds at St. Pete Beach and the incident ended up seeing him kick an officer in the face, the affidavit said.
As well as that, USA Today reports that Farthing’s girlfriend was allegedly also trying to fight guests of the hotel, with the affidavit saying she “appeared very intoxicated... and was yelling, screaming and making incoherent statements.”
Kentucky man wins $167-million #Powerball jackpot, lands in Florida jail. James Farthing accused of fighting hotel patrons, then kicking deputy in face. Girlfriend, Jacqueline Fightmaster, also charged. pic.twitter.com/Do6Nx1WGWH
— Dave Wagner (@DaveWagnerTV) May 2, 2025
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Authorities said that Farthing then attempted to flee after being told to turn around and put his hands behind his back; after being chased down he was apprehended and taken into custody where he was later put in a cell. His girlfriend, the somewhat appropriately named Jacqueline Fightmaster, was also charged.
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