Anthony Yates
A man from Kentucky hit the jackpot in a Powerball Lottery back in April. The prize was the largest ever won in the state, but his celebrations were short-lived as police officers tased and arrested him the very next day.
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Per USA Today, 50-year-old James Farthing won $167 million on April 28. His mother, Linda Grizzle, reportedly told lottery officials, “It’s going to be a good Mother’s Day. This is going to pay off my debt.” However, authorities arrested James Farthing and his girlfriend, 42-year-old Jacqueline Fightmaster, on April 29.
WFLA cites an arrest affidavit that reportedly says Farthing was at Island Grand at Tradewinds when an altercation occurred between him and another patron. Deputies from the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office arrived at the scene and tried to break up the fight. Authorities claim that Farthing attempted to kick the other man but ended up hitting a police officer instead.
Bodycam Footage Of The Altercation Was Recently Released Online
Newly-released bodycam footage circulating on social media reveals what happened during the heated exchange. PoliceActivity shared extended footage of the incident on YouTube of officers entering the building.
The first few seconds of the video are muted, but a hotel worker appears to lead a deputy to the lobby. Two men are fighting and pulling each other to the ground. The officer pushes one man in a blue shirt to the floor face down and attempts to put handcuffs on him. Farthing, who is shirtless, appears to throw a kick, which hits the deputy instead of the man on the floor.
“Step it up, I just got kicked!” the officer exclaims. He finishes putting the handcuffs on the suspect and walks over to Farthing. “Put your hands behind your head right the **** now,” he says. The shirtless man doesn’t comply and runs for the door instead. The deputy shoots him in the back with a taser while another tackles him to the ground. “He ******* kicked me in the face. He’s ******* going,” the officer shouts.
Farthing tries to apologize, but the officer responds, “No. You see, I have him, and you walk up and you ******* kick him and you hit me in the ******* face!”
Per WFLA, police reportedly charged Farthing with resisting an officer without violence, battery on a law enforcement officer, battery, and parole violation. Authorities charged Fightmaster with disorderly intoxication. The outlet reveals that Farthing pleaded not guilty and had a pretrial hearing earlier this month.
