Man who won $167M Powerball arrested for the second time since record-breaking victory

James Farthing, who was arrested last year during celebrations for his record win, now faces charges for intimidation

A Kentucky man who won a $167m jackpot on the Powerball Lottery last year, before being arrested for assaulting a police officer in Florida, has been arrested again after a woman reported he left her “in fear for her life.”

James Farthing bought his winning ticket in the community of Georgetown in April 2025, making lottery history for receiving the largest prize ever awarded in Kentucky. He shared the winnings with his mother.

He won on a Saturday, but by Wednesday, he had been arrested after a late-night altercation that occurred on a beach during celebrations for his life-changing lottery success. He was arrested and accused of felony battery on a law enforcement officer during a struggle in which he also allegedly resisted arrest.

Farthing, despite initially pleading not guilty and requesting a jury trial, later asked to serve his sentence.

Now, Farthing faces further charges after a woman called police "in fear for her life.”

At about midnight on 11 February, Scott County sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to a property in Georgetown following a call from a woman who called 911 and said people in the house were armed and might harm her.

Powerball winner James Farthing shown here in his mugshot from 2025 (Pinellas County Sheriff's Office)

Officers carried out a "protective sweep" and reportedly found ammunition and a .380 caliber weapon in clothing in a dryer in the home as well as marijuana and drug paraphernalia. Farthing said he did not own the weapon.

The woman was then found shortly afterward hiding beneath a desk. She was “intoxicated and extremely fearful,” Fox56 reported, citing police documents.

She told investigators Farthing had picked her up from her Lexington home for a prearranged get-together. But he then allegedly tried to pressure her into taking a “gummy.”

When authorities asked what she meant, she said she wasn’t sure what kind of gummy it was and that “she doesn’t normally partake.”

She was taken to Georgetown Community Hospital by emergency personnel.

Farthing shared his winnings with his mother (AP)

While being questioned at the hospital, officers said the woman was sent a text message from Farthing, which allegedly read: “Why would you do this to me, unreal I'd never hurt u.”

Police then reportedly seized Farthing’s phone for allegedly texting the victim, who by that point was participating in legal proceedings.

The jackpot winner allegedly told officers that the woman “had been perfectly fine prior to her disappearance from the group.”

He explained that he became worried the woman was lost and had been looking for her when officers arrived.

Farthing posted a $5,000 cash bond with the Scott County Detention Center following his arrest, and is now due in court on Thursday, 2 April.

At the time of his victory, Farthing told WSAZ, “I’ve caused a lot of stress on her [my mom], 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’s happened good for me.”