From accepting a check to sitting behind bars for battery on an officer, lottery winner repeats criminal behavior
By Kate Northrop
ST. PETE BEACH, Fla. — Just days after claiming a $167.3 million Powerball jackpot, a lottery winner was arrested alongside his girlfriend at a Florida resort bar for punching another customer and kicking a police officer during an altercation.
What goes up must come down — the Kentucky winner of a $167.3 million Powerball jackpot is sitting behind bars within the same week he posed with a huge lottery check with his mother and girlfriend.
Linda Grizzle and her son, James Shannon Farthing, 50, were announced as the two winners of the jackpot by the Kentucky Lottery this week. They didn't waste any time in claiming the prize, with the pair and Farthing's girlfriend, Jacqueline Ann Fightmaster, 42, showing up to Lottery offices just two days after the drawing.
But not even a full week later, Farthing and Fightmaster were arrested by officers at the TradeWinds Resort in St. Pete Beach, Florida following a violent bar altercation between the lottery winner and another patron.
According to an arrest affidavit filed in Pinellas County, Farthing punched another customer named Kevin Rushing in the face during an argument. When police arrived and intervened to break up the fight, Farthing kicked an officer in the face.
Later, the officer reviewed surveillance footage in the establishment and observed Farthing intentionally "winding up his right leg" to kick him in a clear attempt to cause injury. The officer was left with "visible swelling and redness on the right side of [his] face underneath [the] right eye," the police report says.
Farthing was then instructed "to turn around and put his hands behind his back," but he refused and started to flee out of the hotel on foot.
A little after 11:00 p.m. on Tuesday evening, he was arrested and charged with simple battery, battery on a law enforcement officer, and resisting an officer without violence by means of obstruction.
Meanwhile, Fightmaster was observed actively engaging in the argument involving her boyfriend and was attempting to "fight the other patrons at the bar," her own corresponding arrest affidavit reads. She "appeared very intoxicated and was yelling, screaming, and making incoherent statements." Hotel staff expressed wishes to press charges against Fightmaster, and she was charged with disorderly intoxication by way of causing a public disturbance.
Farthing was booked into Pinellas County Jail in Clearwater, Florida at around 4:45 a.m. on Wednesday and remains in custody on a bond exceeding $11,000 for all his charges. However, he was on parole at the time of his arrest and was therefore handed an additional charge of violating parole.
Farthing has a colorful criminal history, having been incarcerated three times and having committed several felonies throughout the past 25 years. His crimes include theft, receiving stolen property, drug trafficking, escape from a detention facility, engaging in an organized crime syndicate, promoting contraband, drug possession, and tampering with physical evidence. His last offense was committed in 2016.
His most recent parole supervision began in September 2023 and was scheduled to conclude in August 2025.
Although posting bail may not be an issue for the newly minted lottery millionaire, Farthing remains in prison due to his Kentucky parole violator warrant, which the Kentucky Department of Corrections issued as a result of his recent arrest and since he left the state without the permission of a parole officer.
Fightmaster was also booked into Pinellas County Jail at about 1:30 a.m. the same night but has since been released.
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Well her last name is Fightmaster after all, so
Bring It On then, let's go then..
Already has a history with the cops. Got a once in a lifetime blessing and instead of keeping his nose clean, he went back to his old tricks. If he keeps this up, and not make his life right like he should, in five years , he will be calling dear old mom, and looking to borrow some cash. Some people just don't get it .
If memory serves me correctly, there was an August 2001 Powerball winner from Ashland,KY, who was also a convicted felon........ DAVID LEE EDWARDS.....How history repeats itself.
I see a very edgy Netflix series out of this one. Central casting.
Right now, I'm ashamed to say my parents came from Kentucky. I think his job in the biker gang was the Supreme Moron. And that girlfriend (?) looks alot like mom...half-sister, maybe? As soon as I saw they claimed that jackpot in two days, I just knew the fun was just beginning,lol. I'm sure this is far from the last story Kate will be writing about the Grizzle-Farthing gang.😆
Are those the best haircuts you can get for $100 million?
I would suggest that all convicted felons in Kentucky not purchase PB tickets from a Clark's Pump n Shop store:
https://www.lotterypost.com/news/354348
https://www.lotterypost.com/news/161361
Follow-up story;
$167 Million PB Winner from Kentucky collects as sole winner. Son buys ticket as a gift for Mothers day.
Where is his maga hat??
inflation, brah.
* When l read of a 50 year old getting into a fight, it better be as a martial arts instructor, but mixing it up in public & losing? Yikes!
He died. I think from hepatitus. Theres a couple youtube videos on him. On how He blew through the money and how he ended up. Don't quote me. But I think he was living in a storage unit at one point.
There being posted all over Facebook. Even the large scale newspapers are doing stories about them. These people made 2 fatal mistakes. The first was going public. The second was splitting the jackpot. What's that old saying. A fool and his money....... You guys and gal's know the rest......😂 And I don't think this is going to be the last time you hear about these folks!
😂😂😂😂😂😜💀 💀
* If my memory serves me correctly: Edward's grown daughter said her Dad died leaving her no money. Enough said.
I remember seeing a video on him . It was like a MTV cribs episode kinda thing. You talk about someone wasting money on dumb stuff. Even the neighbors where complaining about him. 😂 I think it was all the cars he had parked all over the place.
Am pretty sure he has not received any Powerball money doesn't process that fast. That said hopefully he thinks about his future in jail and make Changes 😛 Also l recommend a new Girlfriend without the name Fightmaster lol look for Lovemistress 💕
Soon to be on the list of "Lottery's Biggest Losers"...
* Far be it for me to tell someone how to spend their money, but besides the cars Edward's purchased, the guy had a collection of medieval swords. How that is an investment is beyond me, and this was way way before " Game of thrones" hit the small screen, or was it- but hey, to each he's own...
Yea I remember that. The swords and the mid evil knights outfits. And he said he bought a private jet. And started Rambling on about how he needed a jet. And it's been years but if I remember correctly. He was herion addict living in a storage room. At the end. After going broke. Then went to a state run hospice then passing.
Just, I have a feeling it will only get better. Wait until the deputy he kicked in the face and the man he initially punched get lawyers because they now have medical & psychological situations that could possibly last a lifetime....Hang on Shannon, this ball game is only in the 1st inning.
Yeah, they hit the lottery.....HIS
Idiots....people that shouldn't win.
Congratulations to the winners!
Enjoy!
When I saw the news report on this, I just shook my head.....
I really do believe it is the people (not the money) that causes problems (no lottery curse).
Money is just a means of exchange; a tool that gives you choices and options.
The more you have, the more choices and options.
This guy already has issues in place before he won, and he is still making bad choices.
I feel like this kind of money only magnifies what's already inside a person (be it good or bad).
And I am pretty sure Mr. Rushing will be getting a lawyer (and possibly a settlement).
oh well
Sounds like Farthing decided to go Billy Jack on that deputy.
https://youtu.be/9ZbmHmY0e3E?si=VOHCxSe1172kwKQ4
Yeah....so sad.
And his financial counselor said he did not follow ANY of his advice.
David was set up with an allowance of $18K a month.
But instead, he got back into drugs and it was downhill from there.
After he married his girlfriend (who was also on drugs) they ended up living in a storage unit after loosing it all.
They eventually divorced , he dies and his ex was facing time in prison for assault on her boyfriend.
(This report is from 2013).
https://www.kentucky.com/news/state/kentucky/article44456535.html
Yea this dudes a walking target now for lawsuits .
Thanks for the link. Good reading! I just looked up shawna on Facebook. I was looking through her pictures. She has one of a yellow lamborghini she used to have. 😬
Nice, some cheats got what they deserve.
You just won 10s of millions of dollars in the PB lottery. What are you going to do with your first million??? New house, exotic cars, vacation, a new boat ???
Shannon: " Spend it on criminal defense attorneys and court fines, maybe a civil suit payout or 2 ".
I'm all for banning Kentucky from Powerball. They have won more Powerball jackpots than California, Florida, and New York combined
you sound like someone needs to G A (gamblers anonymous)
This statement is false.
Looks like we got another Dave Lee Edwards... He'll be dead within a year.
I've watched those lottery winner shows, he was the ONLY person who quoted the price of everything he'd bought. & all those swords/armor etc were just cheap Chinese knockoffs.
He originally set up a trust fund for the kid, but then cashed it in after he pissed away the rest of the money. His home in Florida was seized by the HOA & auctioned off for the back fees he owed.
A bunch of his friends died from OD'ing on meth etc after he enabled them to get high. I think the final death toll was at least a dozen.
At the other extreme, there was a lottery ticket sold in Maryland many years back. It won, I think, around 60 million. At the time it was considerable. The ticket did not get claimed for about 6 months. I remember it well, because the ticket was purchased at the BJ's where I got mine. I was outside washing my car and the wife came out to tell me, as I hadn't checked mine yet.
Everybody was wondering who won it. It turns out the family that won it had kids in High School and they waited until the end of the school year before they even told the kids they had won it. They didn't want it to affect their classwork. Turns out the wife worked in a Radiology office where I serviced some of the equipment.
* l didn't think it was that bad. I recall him giving a press conference & talking on how he intends his money to outlast his lifetime. Then when he started talking about collecting swords, l changed the channel.
"And when you walk in golden halls you get to keep the gold that falls"
Make him pay. Lol
My First thought EXACTLY!!!
YEP They win money and THINK=="NOT" they can do whatever they want and get away with IT!
Hopefully the officer that was kicked in the face Sue's MORON and there goes mr i can do what i want now cuz I HAVE $$$$ and he/they can go back Behind bars!!!
And Hopefully Mom won't waste her Money on either one of them, then maybe they can finally learn something! But I'm not going to hold my Breathe on that......
well I see nothing has changed in the longtime since I've been on here...
STILL jj Talking out his BUTT!! (I say butt only cuz i don't want to have Kate to Bleep out the other word! LOL
You'll all be glad to know, I checked the Pinellas County "Who's In Jail" website yesterday, and he's still there. I doubt they got their phat paycheck to pay his three bail amounts yet. Plus, there's the probation violation in Kentucky. Or, maybe he just prefers jail food to Ms. Fightmaster's cooking. At 5'2" and 150 lbs, I'd say she's eating way more than she cooks.