ames Farthing, the Kentucky man who won a $167.3 million Powerball jackpot in April 2025, was arrested Sunday for the fourth time since claiming the largest lottery prize in the state’s history, this time on charges of strangling a woman following a boating trip.
Farthing, 51, of Georgetown, was booked into Scott County Jail and is being held on charges of first-degree strangulation, domestic violence related, and fourth-degree assault causing minor injury, jail records confirmed.
What We Know So Far
The unidentified woman told police she and Farthing argued after returning from a boating trip. She said Farthing placed both hands around her neck and restricted her breathing, WKYT confirmed.
Farthing appeared in Scott County District Court on Tuesday and entered a not guilty plea. A judge set his bond at $15,000 and ordered him to have no contact with the alleged victim. He must also wear an electronic monitoring device that alerts authorities if he violates the order, People confirmed.
It is his fourth arrest since winning the Powerball in April 2025.
His first arrest came just four days after claiming his prize. On April 30, 2025, Farthing was arrested at the TradeWinds Resort in St. Pete Beach, Florida, after allegedly punching another guest at the hotel and then kicking a Pinellas County sheriff’s deputy in the face when officers arrived to break up the fight. He was charged with battery on a law enforcement officer and resisting arrest. He later pleaded guilty and received a sentence of time served and $1,000 in fines.
In February 2026, Farthing was arrested in Georgetown on an intimidation charge after a woman called 911 saying she feared for her life. Officers found the woman hiding under a desk. She told investigators Farthing had allegedly pressured her to take a drug. A search of the home uncovered a handgun, ammunition, marijuana, and drug paraphernalia.
In March 2026, Farthing was arrested a third time on charges of second-degree burglary and marijuana possession. Police alleged security footage showed him entering a Lexington home and stealing approximately $12,000 in cash. He was booked into the Fayette County Detention Center and later released on bond.
Sunday’s domestic violence arrest is his fourth.
What Farthing Said After His Earlier Arrests
After his Florida arrest in 2025, Farthing spoke to WKYT about making better choices.
“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,” he said in May 2025.
When he won the jackpot in April 2025, Farthing said he planned to split the prize with his mother, Linda Grizzle.
“It’s going to be a good Mother’s Day,” Grizzle told WHAS at the time. “This is going to pay off my debt.”
Why This Matters
Farthing’s criminal record predates his lottery win by decades. It dates to 1994 and includes arrests in multiple Kentucky counties on charges including burglary, drug offenses, engaging in organized crime, and escaping from a detention facility, WKYT confirmed.
Under Kentucky law, anyone 18 or older may legally purchase a lottery ticket regardless of their criminal history, unless the terms of their probation or parole specifically prohibit it.
The series of arrests since April 2025 illustrates a pattern that has become a recurring media story: lottery winners whose sudden wealth does not resolve pre-existing behavioral or legal problems and in some cases appears to accelerate them.
Farthing won the $2 Powerball ticket that produced Kentucky’s largest-ever lottery prize on April 26, 2025, in Georgetown. He and his mother collected the prize and posed with an oversized check two days later. Four days after that, he was in a Florida jail.
What Happens Next
Farthing remains in Scott County Jail on the domestic violence charges. His bond is set at $15,000.
He faces active legal proceedings in multiple jurisdictions, including the Florida case, the Georgetown intimidation charge, and the Lexington burglary case, in addition to Sunday’s arrest.
A no-contact order and electronic monitoring are now in place as conditions of his release once bail is posted.
Sources: People.com; The Independent
