Incarcerated lottery winner waives right to hearing
By Kate Northrop
Following his arrest days after winning a historic $167.3 million Powerball jackpot, a Kentucky lottery winner will serve out his sentence after waiving his right to a hearing.
The lottery winner of a $167.3 million Powerball jackpot, the largest prize ever awarded in the state of Kentucky, requested to serve out the remainder of his sentence.
On April 30, James Shannon Farthing, 50, was arrested at a resort bar in St. Pete Beach, Florida following an altercation with another patron and an officer. According to arrest reports, he punched a customer during an argument and kicked an officer in the face when he attempted to intervene.
The jackpot winner has a colorful criminal history dating back 25 years. He was on parole at the time of his arrest and was therefore handed a charge of violating parole in addition to several others relating to battery and resisting arrest.
His most recent parole supervision began in September 2023 and would have concluded this August.
Pinellas County court records show that on May 23, his attorney submitted a written plea of not guilty. However, the Kentucky Parole Board said Farthing waived his right to a probable cause hearing and a final revocation hearing, requesting instead to serve out his sentence.
Prior to claiming the record prize, Farthing told WKYT reporters that winning was an opportunity to change his ways and make it up to his mother, who he had split the prize with.
"I've caused a lot of stress on her [my mom], you know, I've made some bad decisions in life, and you know, God's been good because I've kept my faith and done right, and something's happened good for me," Farthing said in an interview with the media outlet.
According to the Kentucky Department of Corrections, Farthing will serve his sentence until Nov. 4, 2025. However, the Kentucky Parole Board says he is expected to be released on Aug. 27, 2025. The Department of Corrections database shows he is currently being held at the Scott County Detention Center in Georgetown, Kentucky.
You have a few more months then 🥳 🎉... Still happy he won
Hopefully these next few months will give him the time to get his head in the right place. What a win.
Oh, no doubt.... ole Shannon has learned his lesson. A changed, God- fearing man for certain....50 years old and still living in prison...Again. Anyone taking odds what happens within 12 months after completed time served ?
Looking at jail bars again in 13 months.
Always these types that win wow
I'm pretty sure he'll be getting sued by all those he battered, the other payron, the cop, etc .. Civil lawsuit
anything is possible ....
Mother's love is a very powerful equalizer. His professed love for his mother might just be the catalyst to make him stronger and able to deal with life as an adult.
The Good News the world will be very quiet and peaceful and lawful for a while until he comes out of Jail. Me personally l won't stay in Jail for even 5 seconds more l will hire $1,000,000 defense attorneys for celebrities
Today l bought one quick pick mega millions with 5X in Indiana am happy 😃
Good thing for him he claimed the ticket right away. If his release date had been delayed or pushed back for any reason the 180 day claiming period may have expired.
My roommate served for sixteen years on the KY Parole Board. If this happened while on his term, he wouldn't tell me anything about it stating it's against State law. We were @ odds with child abuse cases. I couldn't discuss the kids I sometimes had to extubate (terminally) and he couldn't tell me with Defendant was up for parole. So I fixed everything a long time ago since I knew all seven board members. Simply said 'Child abuse=serve out'.
This guy will probably be back behind bars in no time. To each their own, but never understood the mentality of a criminal mindset.
Let's not forget he still has to face felony charges here in Florida. And we don't take too kindly to folk that would look to harm one of our poh-leese officers.
Some people are more likely to be struck by lightning ⚡️ than win the lottery and some people are more likely to win the lottery because they have already been struck by lightning ⚡️ lol 😝 When l was a baby there was an assassination attempt on me . I was thrown out of upstairs window three separate times and survived all and even though it's a big family with over 32 children l was the only baby that fell three times and no other fell even once . After watching CSI decided to investigate .So to me am more likely to win the lottery 😇
While they have him in custody, how about investigating him for cheating the lottery!
Then a regular law abiding citizen can't hit the Powerball for more than $10.00 then this clown hits the big one??? SMDH
Talk about the 'curse of the lottery'.
His girlfriend need to get online and order one of the classic t-shirts from the 70's...
I'M WITH STUPID
Lottery curse is when you get robbed or distant relatives coming out of the woods and driving you to a psych ward. Not assaulting others thinking you're untouchable cuz you're rich.
There are many things that can be called the 'curse of the lottery'.
Yes, there are. But the winners have to take accountability at some point. No one's putting a gun to their head and making them do everything.
Things out of your control is the lottery curse.
Try this, the late Jaclk Whitaker won $314 million on Powerball in 2002 and he himself said wining was the worst thing that ever happened to him.
He did things like go to strip clubs and leave $650,000 in the trunk of his car and said his granddaughter died becuase of his winiing.
I've known his story for a very long time.
If you look at those so called "lottery curse" stories, most of those unfortunate incidents could've been avoided by being just a lil cautious. It's really sad what happened to his daughter and granddaughter. But he was carrying six figures in cash in his car and would often flaunt it in the strip clubs making sure everyone knew he was wealthy. And when asked why he would do that, his response was "because I can". When you have such utter disregard for a life changing opportunity that most people couldn't even dream of, you're bound to make mistakes and reap the consequences. Least he could've done was hire private security.
Calling Jack Whittaker or Cynthia Stafford lottery curses is an insult to people like Abraham Shakespeare.
There's thousands of lottery winners whose stories we've never heard of, leading happy lives, and would never wish for a life without their lottery win. That's cuz they respect the opportunity and realized the dangers and limitations of such wealth.
As someone once said, "A smart man learns from his mistakes. A wise man learns from others' mistakes".
johnnyBlaze
Do you actually read posts you trply to beforre you male ypour repies? I mentioned his going to strip clubs wuth $650,000 in his car.
There were enough examples of 'The Curse of the Lottery" for a TV series by that very name.