ST. PETE BEACH, Fla. — A recent Powerball winner was arrested after officials said he kicked a deputy in the face during a fight at the TradeWinds Resort on St. Pete Beach.
Around 11:09 p.m. on April 29, a Pinellas County Sheriff's Office deputy arrived at the hotel to break up a fight between 50-year-old James S. Farthing and another patron. An affidavit said his girlfriend, 42-year-old Jacqueline Fightmaster, was also arguing with other patrons inside the hotel and appeared "very intoxicated."
According to the affidavit, Farthing then kicked the deputy in the face. The deputy then told Farthing to turn around and put his hands behind his back, which he refused to do.
The deputy said Farthing then attempted to flee on foot out of the hotel.
Farthing was arrested and is facing multiple charges, including resisting an officer with violence and battery on a law enforcement officer.
Fightmaster was also arrested for disorderly intoxication. The hotel staff told officials they want to press charges.
The Scripps News Group in Lexington, Kentucky, reported that Farthing was the recent winner of the Kentucky lottery, splitting the $167 million prize with his mother, Linda Grizzle.
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