Latest news with #Fightmaster
Yahoo
03-05-2025
- Yahoo
Man arrested days after $167 million Powerball jackpot win
A Kentucky man is now in a Florida jail after claiming a $167 million lottery prize. According to WKYT, 50-year-old James Farthing was taken into police custody Wednesday for assault on an officer. [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] He was arrested with his girlfriend, 42-year-old Jacqueline Fightmaster, after a fight at a resort in St. Pete Beach, Florida, according to Local 12. Farthing won the massive multi-million dollar Powerball jackpot after buying the ticket Saturday, Local 12 says. TRENDING STORIES: Inmate's death ruled homicide, coroner reports; 10 jail employees placed on leave Deadly OVI crash to send woman to prison for 12 years Ohio State fraternity suspended for 4 years after hazing investigation Reports from the scene obtained by WKYT say that officers tried to intervene in an argument between Farthing and another hotel guest when Farthing punched the guest in the face. The arresting officer claims Farthing kicked him in the face and refused to comply with orders, WKYT says. Officers found Fightmaster intoxicated and trying to provoke other people at the bar, Local 12 says. Farthing is facing charges of battery on a law enforcement officer and two unspecified misdemeanors, Local 12 says, and remains behind bars. Fightmaster was released, but was charged with public intoxication, according to Local 12. [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Yahoo
$167 million Powerball jackpot winner arrested in clash with Florida deputy. What we know
People who win big in the lottery often get good advice, such as don't tell anyone right away, talk to financial experts, and make plans about your future. Another good tip: don't get in fights with police. Just days after winning $167.3 million in the Powerball, James Farthing, 50, of Georgetown, Kentucky, and his girlfriend Jacqueline Fightmaster, 42, were arrested in Florida after a scuffle at the TradeWinds Resort at St. Pete Beach, according to the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office. Farthing was charged with felony battery on a law enforcement officer and two misdemeanor counts. Bond was set at $11,500, but Farthing remained in custody May 2 due to a Kentucky felony warrant for parole violation. Fightmaster was charged with disorderly intoxication and released the next day. Days before, Farthing posed with his mother, Linda Grizzle, Fightmaster and an oversized check for $167.3 million he won in the April 26 drawing. Here's what to know. Farthing is accused by deputies of punching another guest in the face during an argument around 11:10 p.m. April 29, according to a Pinellas County arrest affidavit. A Pinellas County sheriff's deputy Nicholas Areostatico was attempting to break up the fight when the affidavit said Farthing kicked the deputy. Farthing then attempted to flee, the deputy wrote in the report. Bodycam video later showed Farthing "winding up his right leg" before kicking Areostatico, the deputy wrote, "in an attempt to injury and/or incapacitate myself." He reported visible swelling and redness on the right side of his face. Fightmaster was 'actively engaging in argument involving other guests and her boyfriend' and attempting to fight other people, the report said. She "appeared very intoxicated and was yelling, screaming, and making incoherent statements." Kentucky state records show Farthing was previously convicted for theft, receiving stolen property, escape, drug trafficking, promoting contraband, tampering with physical evidence, and engaging in an organized criminal syndicate. He was supposed to remain under supervision until August 27, 2025. Fraud, bankruptcies, murder: These 7 top Florida lottery winners lost everything According to Pinellas County Sheriff's Office records, Farthing was charged with: Resisting officer w/o violence (obstruction), $500 bond Battery on a law enforcement officer, $10,000 bond Battery simple, $1,000 bond Parole violation Fightmaster was charged with disorderly intoxication — disturbance. She was released the next day. Farthing won $167.3 million in the April 26 Powerball drawing. He said at the time he planned to split his winnings with Grizzle, his mother, because they often played the lottery together. 'It's going to be a good Mother's Day,' Grizzle said in a Kentucky Lottery news release. 'This is going to pay off my debt.' Farthing hadn't yet decided whether to take the 30 annual payments or the cash option, which would be $77.3 million, the Kentucky Lottery release said. The $167.3 million jackpot is the largest Powerball ever won in Kentucky, the lottery office said. This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Powerball winner James Farthing arrested in Florida days after win
Daily Mail
02-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Powerball winner and his girlfriend are arrested just days after pocketing $167.3M jackpot
Just days after claiming a $167.3 million Powerball jackpot, a Kentucky man's dream turned into a legal nightmare on the sands of Florida. James Farthing, 50, of Georgetown, Kentucky, was arrested early Wednesday morning at a St. Pete Beach resort following a late-night altercation that left him facing serious charges - including felony battery on a law enforcement officer. Farthing, who won the jackpot with his mother, allegedly punched another guest in the face before he kicked a Pinellas County sheriff's deputy in the face while resisting arrest, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by the New York Post. The incident occurred at the TradeWinds Island Grand Resort, a beachfront destination where Farthing and his girlfriend, Jacqueline Fightmaster, 42, were reportedly celebrating his life-changing lottery win. Police were called to the resort bar around 11:10 pm after reports of a physical altercation between Farthing and another guest. The already tense situation only escalated when officers tried to intervene, according to the arresting officer, WKYT reported. Authorities said Farthing was intoxicated, uncooperative and aggressive, ultimately lashing out violently at law enforcement. The deputy was reported to have swelling and redness on the right side of his face under his eye, according to the affidavit. The jackpot winner now faces charges of battery on a law enforcement officer - a felony - and a pair of misdemeanors, resisting an officer without violence and battery. In addition, officials in Kentucky have issued a warrant for violating his parole, which stems from prior convictions for theft and drug offenses. Farthing was on parole through August 2025 for charges in Kentucky, WKYT reported. His court records include convictions of tampering with evidence, engaging in organized crime, drug charges, receiving stolen property and theft by unlawful taking. His girlfriend, Fightmaster, was also taken into custody on charges of public intoxication but has since been released. Witnesses described her as verbally combative during the encounter. '[Fightmaster] appeared very intoxicated and was yelling, screaming and making incoherent statements,' the affidavit alleged. The Wednesday morning arrest comes on the heels of a highly publicized Powerball win that saw Farthing and his mother, Linda Grizzle, claim one of the largest jackpots in Kentucky history. The $2 ticket was purchased at a Clark's Pump-N-Shop in Georgetown, where the pair was faced with the choice of receiving 30 annual payments or take the cash option of $77.3 million. Grizzle told reporters earlier in the week that she had called her son immediately upon realizing they held the winning numbers. 'It's going to be a good Mother's Day,' she said. 'This is going to pay off my debt.' Farthing, who was all smiles during the winner's announcement on Saturday, is now facing a far less glamorous spotlight as his court date in Florida is pending. The 50-year-old Kentucky-native is being held on a $10,000 bond and jail records show he has $315 on his commissary account, according to WKYT.
New York Post
01-05-2025
- New York Post
Kentucky son who won $167.3M Powerball jackpot with mom charged with kicking Florida cop in the face days later: affidavit
This Powerball winner went from striking gold to striking out. A Kentucky son who won an eye-popping $167.3 million jackpot prize with his elderly mother was in handcuffs just days later for allegedly kicking a Florida deputy in the face as the cop attempted to break up a bar fight at an oceanfront resort Tuesday. James Farthing, 50, and his girlfriend Jacqueline Fightmaster — yes, really — were both arrested following the fracas at the TradeWinds Resort at St. Pete Beach on the heels of his lucky draw at Clark's Pump N Shop in the Bluegrass State Saturday. Advertisement 3 James Farthing was charged with a felony and misdemeanors this week after his big winnings. PCSO Farthing, a former convict, even posed with an oversized check with his gal pal and mother Monday before his fortunes drastically changed the following night. The Georgetown, Ky., resident punched another hotel guest in the face during an argument and then kicked a Pinellas County Sheriff's deputy in the face during the scuffle around 11:10 p.m., an arrest affidavit obtained by The Post alleges. Advertisement The law enforcement officer had 'swelling and redness' on the right side of his face under his eye, according to the affidavit first reported on by the Smoking Gun. Following the alleged kick to the face, Farthing then tried to flee the scene unsuccessfully, the affidavit claims. Meanwhile, Fightmaster, 42, allegedly lived up to her name when she drunkenly wanted to brawl with other patrons at the bar, according to the police documents. 3 Jacqueline Fightmaster, Farthing's aptly named girlfriend, was also charged in the fracas. PCSO Advertisement '[Fightmaster] appeared very intoxicated and was yelling, screaming and making incoherent statements,' the docs alleged. Farthing was charged with battery on a law enforcement officer, a felony and a pair of misdemeanors while Fightmaster was slapped with a public intoxication. Both were booked early Wednesday, with Farthing also facing a parole violation stemming from Kentucky legal trouble, records show. He remains behind bars while Fightmaster was released. Advertisement Farthing was previously convicted of a slew of charges, including theft, receiving stolen property, and drug offenses, according to records. He was on top of the world when he purchased the $2 Powerball ticket and later learned from his mother, Linda Grizzle, that he won. 3 Farthing was all smiles earlier this week with his gal pal and mother. Kentucky Lottery While the son paid for the ticket, he said earlier this week he would split the winnings with his mother. The pair plans on paying off some bills. The duo can either gobble up 30 graduated annual payments or cash a lump sum of $77.3 million. 'It's going to be a good Mother's Day,' Grizzle said in a Kentucky Lottery press release. 'This is going to pay off my debt.' A lawyer listed for Farthing did not immediately return a request for comment Thursday.
