A millionaire Powerball winner has been arrested for the fifth time since landing $167.3m (£125.9m) after cops allegedly found him drunk and asleep in a running Mustang
A millionaire lottery winner has been arrested for the fifth time since scooping a whopping $167.3million (£125.9million) Powerball jackpot – after cops allegedly found him boozed up and asleep in a sports car.
James Farthing, 51, who landed Kentucky, USA’s state-record prize in April 2025, was arrested on Sunday (September 20), after deputies were called to a bizarre late-night scene in Georgetown.
A witness rang in just before 3am to report a white Ford Mustang stopped dead in the middle of an intersection. The caller said the car then slowly moved off and pulled into a nearby Walmart car park, where it parked near an electric vehicle charging station, Lex18 reported.
When deputies arrived, they allegedly found the Mustang’s engine still running – and Farthing passed out in the passenger seat. Police reportedly had to knock on the window for several minutes before he woke up.
Deputies claimed he smelled strongly of alcohol and marijuana, had slurred speech, bloodshot eyes and struggled to keep his balance, the New York Post reported. Farthing allegedly tried to explain it away by claiming a woman had driven him there and then abandoned him.
But cops say security footage from the lot showed nobody getting out of the vehicle after it parked. Farthing was booked into the Scott County Detention Center on a public intoxication charge, according to reports, and is scheduled for arraignment in Scott County District Court.
It’s the latest in a string of run-ins with the law since his life-changing win. In April 2025 — just days after claiming his fortune – Farthing was arrested in Florida for battery after allegedly punching a hotel guest and kicking a sheriff’s deputy in the face at a beach resort, reports say.
He was later cited in November 2025 in connection with a high-speed hit-and-run after crashing his Corvette and fleeing on foot. In February 2026, he was hit with intimidation and drug charges after a frightened woman allegedly hid under a desk and called emergency services, claiming armed people at his house were trying to hurt her.
Then in July 2026, Farthing was arrested on felony domestic violence charges for allegedly strangling a woman after an argument following a boating trip. Back when he first bought the ticket, Farthing had been jubilant after popping into Georgetown’s Clark’s Pump n’ Shop.
“I come in here all the time,” Farthing said at the time, 29 News reported. “I’m always buying [lottery tickets] ‘cause I’m like, ‘Somebody’s gotta win.’”
His mum, Linda Grizzly, recalled the moment they realised he’d struck gold, saying: “I called and texted it to him. He said the man here sold it to him.”
Shop worker Mitch Bowling added: “I’ve sold big winners before, but nothing like this. I mean, this is unprecedented.”
And Farthing’s simple advice to other hopefuls was: “You gotta play to win.”
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