James Farthing was the Kentucky Powerball winner in April 2025. He won $167 million after entering the lottery in a Georgetown gas station. This was the largest jackpot in the Kentucky lottery since 2009. However, the 51-year-old was arrested on March 28 on charges of burglary in the second degree and possession of marijuana.
A resident of the home alleged that she saw Farthing on her security camera and heard a noise like the door was being broken open. She reported $12,000 in cash was missing from the bedroom after the incident.
This was Farthing’s third arrest in the past year. He was also arrested in November after an alleged hit-and-run where he was charged with wanton endangerment and leaving the scene of the accident. In February, he was charged with intimidating a participant in a legal process.
Recently, Farthing pled guilty to assault of an officer during an incident that occurred in April 2025. Bodycam footage showed him kicking the officer in the face at a bar.
According to People, “Online court records show Farthing is awaiting arraignments in two separate cases in April. PEOPLE could not confirm the charges in those cases. Plea and attorney information were not immediately available.”
On Sunday, March 29, Farthing posted a $10,000 cash bond for the most recent incident.
When Farthing originally won the jackpot less than a year ago, he said he was planning to split the earnings with his mother. She was the one who informed him about his win, and they returned to Clark's Pump N Shop together to show the winning ticket. “It’s going to be a good Mother’s Day,” she said at the time, according to the WBZ News Radio. “This is going to pay off my debt.”
Farthing added, “I come in here all the time. I’m always buying [lottery tickets] ‘cause I’m like ‘somebody’s gotta win.’” The odds of winning that jackpot were 1 in 292.2 million.
