FOURTH arrest: prosecutors plead with judge to see a pattern of criminal activity

By Kate Northrop

The $167 million Powerball lottery winner, who has made an infamous name for himself over the numerous criminal charges filed against him since his win, has been arrested yet again.

A $167 million Powerball lottery jackpot has not done much to keep its claimant out of the news, with the renowned Kentucky man now having been arrested for the fourth time since his win.

It was not even two weeks ago when Shannon James Farthing's latest run-in with the law emerged as a high-speed hit-and-run, a scene which he allegedly fled on foot and abandoned his sports car in the process.

Before that, it was an arrest related to burglary charges and marijuana possession after entering his ex-girlfriend's home using force, charges that have since been dropped after she mistakenly believed he had stolen $12,000 from her.

Earlier this year, he was also arrested for allegedly intimidating a woman in his own home who feared "for her life." Just days after claiming the jackpot, he was arrested for punching a bar customer and kicking an officer in the face.

This is the fourth time he's been arrested since winning the lottery in April 2025, now on charges related to strangulating a woman.

According to documents filed by the Scott County Sheriff's Office, Farthing allegedly wrapped his hands around a woman's neck and lifted her up against a wall at a home on Cynthiana Road. Police noted "visible welts on the right side of her neck," and the attack itself was captured by a Ring camera in the bedroom.

He was charged with first-degree strangulation (domestic violence-related) and fourth-degree assault (domestic violence, minor injury).

The woman told authorities that she and Farthing had returned from a boating trip around 9:00 a.m. on July 26 when they got into an argument that became physical.

Farthing was arrested for Domestic Battery and was booked into Scott County Detention Center. He currently does not appear as an inmate in online records.

He pleaded not guilty at a court hearing on Tuesday. Prosecutors asked the judge to set a $100,000 cash bond, but Farthing's lawyer argued it was excessive and that he shouldn't be treated differently because he was a lottery winner.

"For the record ... the request is not in order to try to treat Mr. Farthing any differently," the prosecution team argued. "It's based on an ongoing pattern of criminal activity."

The judge set his bond at $15,000.

Farthing was also ordered to wear an ankle monitor that would track his location at all times and alert the victim if he was near. He was also told not to engage in any new offenses, or he would wind up in jail again.

"Yeah, I'm not going near her," Farthing said.

(Click to display full-size in gallery)James Farthing, 51 (Scott County Police Department)