James Parthing, the Kentucky man who won a historic $167 million Powerball prize, found himself behind bars once again after police discovered him passed out in a parked sports car, heavily intoxicated, as reported by The New York Post.
This latest arrest adds to a disturbing pattern of criminal incidents that have plagued Parthing's life since he claimed the massive windfall that transformed his financial status overnight.
In the early morning hours of Sunday, around 3 a.m., Georgetown's emergency dispatch received a frantic call from an alert citizen. The caller reported spotting a white Ford Mustang stopped dangerously in the middle of a busy intersection. The witness told dispatchers the vehicle then continued a short distance before pulling into the parking lot of a local Walmart, where it came to a stop.
Scott County sheriff's deputies rushed to the scene and located the vehicle with its engine still running. Inside, officers found Parthing alone, slumped over and deeply unconscious. Deputies had to knock repeatedly on the car window for an extended period before they could rouse him from his stupor.
According to the arrest report and details released by law enforcement, Parthing displayed unmistakable signs of severe intoxication and substance use upon waking. Officers noted a strong odor of alcohol mixed with marijuana emanating from both the vehicle and his person, bloodshot and heavily drooping eyes, slurred and incoherent speech, and significant difficulty maintaining his balance when attempting to stand.
During initial questioning at the scene, Parthing attempted to claim that an unknown woman had driven the vehicle into the Walmart parking lot and left him there alone. However, a quick review of security camera footage completely contradicted his story, clearly showing that no one had exited the Mustang from the moment it arrived in the lot. He was arrested on the spot on suspicion of public intoxication and taken to the Scott County detention facility for further processing.
This incident is far from isolated, representing another link in a troubling chain of criminal events that began in April of last year. That's when Parthing became the winner of the largest Powerball prize in the state's history after purchasing a simple two-dollar lottery ticket at a local gas station, splitting the enormous jackpot with his mother, Linda Grizel. Since that life-changing moment, the man previously described as a career criminal has accumulated no fewer than five separate criminal cases and arrests.
Among the serious incidents that have marked his post-windfall life, a particularly grave case stands out from mid-July, when he was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence after allegedly choking a woman at his Scott County home following a shared boating excursion. Additionally, he faces trial for a hit-and-run accident that occurred last November, in which he allegedly crashed his expensive Corvette into the rear of another vehicle in Lexington and fled the scene on foot rather than waiting for emergency responders.
The lengthy list of charges also includes an arrest this past February for intimidation and threats against a participant in legal proceedings, as well as an especially serious charge of assaulting a law enforcement officer after he allegedly confronted a police officer in Florida and kicked him in the head in April 2025, just days after receiving news of his multimillion-dollar win. Parthing is scheduled to appear in court this coming Tuesday for a detention hearing and formal arraignment on the latest intoxication charges.
