Publication Date: March 30, 2026, 11:00h.
Updated on: March 30, 2026, 11:00h.
- Powerball winner arrested for suspected $12K burglary in Kentucky
- This marks the third arrest since claiming the jackpot, with multiple charges pending
- Previous incidents include police assault, intimidation, and hit-and-run accusations
The individual who won a staggering $167 million Powerball jackpot and was previously arrested for assaulting an officer during a hotel incident is now facing allegations of stealing $12,000 before escaping in his Porsche.
This marks the third occasion James Farthing, 51, from Georgetown, Kentucky, has been incarcerated since his significant financial windfall in April 2025. However, in Farthing’s case, “life-altering” doesn’t seem to equate to making positive choices.
On Saturday, law enforcement arrested the 51-year-old on charges of second-degree burglary and possession of marijuana, as reported by NBC affiliate LEX 18.
The arrest report filed by the Lexington Police Department reveals that Farthing was captured on surveillance footage entering a residence. The alleged victim noted hearing a loud noise, likened to a door being kicked open, and claimed that Farthing stole $12,000 in cash before speeding away in a black Porsche SUV.
Authorities later discovered him in the parking lot of The Red Mile racetrack, where he was taken into custody. Officers also indicated that they found marijuana in his vehicle.
‘Poor Choices’
Farthing shared the Powerball jackpot with his mother, Linda Grizzle, on April 27, 2025. During the initial press coverage, he expressed that he had caused her “a lot of distress.”
“I’ve made some poor choices in my life, but thankfully, I’ve maintained my faith and tried to do right,” he stated.
Just a day later, he was involved in a confrontation at the Island Grand Hotel, located within the TradeWinds Resort in St. Pete Beach, Florida. A police officer who attempted to intervene was reportedly “kicked in the cheek” by Farthing, who resisted arrest and attempted to flee before being subdued with a Taser.
On February 27, he entered a guilty plea to misdemeanor charges of battery and resisting an officer without violence related to that situation, receiving a sentence of time served (nine days) along with a $1,000 fine.
A Solo Crime Wave
In addition, he was charged in February with intimidating a participant in a legal proceeding after deputies responded to a residence in Lexington where a woman claimed she was threatened with a firearm and forced to ingest a gummy.
He is also dealing with an unresolved hit-and-run charge from a November 2025 accident in Fayette County, where he allegedly fled the scene on foot following a rear-end collision.
Farthing has a comprehensive criminal background, including charges related to theft, drug trafficking, organized crime involvement, domestic violence, strangulation, tampering with evidence, and evading law enforcement.