Police say a $167 million Powerball winner was found intoxicated in a running car at a Kentucky Walmart, marking his fifth arrest since the jackpot.
Story Highlights
- Deputies say they found James Farthing asleep in a running car at a Walmart lot.
- Arrest report details odor of alcohol and marijuana, slurred speech, and poor balance.
- Surveillance reportedly showed no one else exiting the car, despite Farthing’s claim.
- Charge is alcohol intoxication in a public place; he was booked in Scott County.
Deputies Locate Running Car After Early-Morning Call
Scott County deputies responded around 3 a.m. after a caller reported a white Ford Mustang stopped at an intersection, then moved into a Walmart parking lot in Georgetown, Kentucky. Officers say they found Powerball winner James Farthing inside a running vehicle and knocked on the window to wake him. Reports describe Farthing as asleep and unresponsive until deputies knocked several times to rouse him. The incident ties to a pattern of arrests since his 2024 jackpot win, according to multiple outlets.
Deputies described clear signs of impairment when they engaged Farthing. Coverage citing the arrest record lists the odor of alcohol and marijuana, bloodshot and watery eyes, slurred speech, and unsteady balance. Those indicators often form the legal basis for public intoxication arrests, which rely on the totality of observed facts when officers suspect a person poses a danger in a public place. Media summaries say the citation stated he was manifestly under the influence and a possible risk to others.
Claim About a Driver Contradicted by Reported Video
Farthing reportedly told deputies a woman drove him to the lot and left him there. Several outlets say parking lot surveillance showed no one else exiting the Mustang after it parked, undercutting that claim. Press accounts, again citing the arrest paperwork, indicate officers believed he may have operated the vehicle while impaired before stopping in the lot. That narrative, if accurate, supported the decision to take him into custody for public intoxication that morning.
Local television reports align on key facts. They say deputies woke Farthing in the parked Mustang, noted classic impairment signs, and arrested him for alcohol intoxication in a public place. He was then booked at the Scott County Detention Center. Some accounts vary on exact seat position and the precise sequence from intersection to lot. But the core remains the same: a sleeping occupant, a running car, and signs of intoxication that led to the charge listed in jail records and media summaries.
Charge, Legal Standards, and Public Safety Concerns
Coverage lists the charge as alcohol intoxication in a public place. That offense does not require a reported blood or breath test when officers rely on immediate, observable signs. Courts often accept trained officer observations—speech, eyes, odor, location, and balance—as enough to justify arrests in similar cases when safety is at stake. Outlets say deputies concluded Farthing posed a risk because he may have driven while impaired before stopping at the Walmart lot.
This arrest drew attention because it is Farthing’s fifth since winning $167 million. National and local stories have tracked his court activity across several cases. Reporters stress that arrests are allegations unless proven in court. In this incident, the booking and charge are on record, and the press relies on the cited arrest document for the described details. Lexington and Louisville stations, along with national outlets, present a consistent backbone of facts on the Walmart encounter.
Sources:
nypost.com, independent.co.uk, wlwt.com, local12.com
