James Farthing, 50, was arrested at a Florida resort on April 29, one day after winning Kentucky’s largest lottery jackpot of $167.3 million.
Body camera footage released by the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office allegedly shows Farthing kicking a deputy in the face during a fight at the TradeWinds Resort in St. Pete Beach, Florida.
Deputies arrived at the resort and reportedly found two men fighting and a woman on the ground. Farthing had punched another hotel guest in the face during an argument, according to arrest affidavits.
When a deputy tried to break up the fight, Farthing kicked him in the face and tried to flee, the police said. Deputies used a taser and tackled him.
“No shirt comes over to kick him, misses and hits me right here,” the deputy said in the video while pointing to his face.
Farthing is charged with one felony count of battery on a law enforcement officer and two misdemeanor counts of simple battery and resisting an officer.
His girlfriend, Jacqueline Fightmaster, was also arrested and charged with one misdemeanor count of disorderly intoxication. She was accused of trying to fight other patrons in the resort bar.
“She appeared very intoxicated and was yelling, screaming and making incoherent statements,” the affidavit reads.
Farthing and his mother Linda Grizzle had claimed their Powerball prize on April 28. Farthing bought a $2 ticket from a gas station in Georgetown, Kentucky.
“It’s going to be a good Mother’s Day,” Grizzle told lottery officials when claiming the prize. “This is going to pay off my debt.”
Farthing was on parole for charges in Kentucky when arrested in Florida. He has spent 30 years in prison at various facilities and has convictions across nine counties in Kentucky, records indicate.
His previous convictions include choking a girlfriend, bribing officers while in prison, and selling cocaine to an undercover officer.
The other man allegedly involved in the fight was also placed in handcuffs.