Kentucky Man Wins Largest Powerball Payout, Gets Arrested in Florida
The "Florida man" meme was created over a decade ago, inspired by the absolutely insane shenanigans one can find when typing those two words as a Google search. Like the headline of this article you are reading, news stories will often include where and who did whatever crazy topic the story is about.
Florida Man Vs. Kentucky Man
Based on these search results, we could make the observation that men in Florida tend to do outlandish things. Often involving alligators, fast cars, weapons, and mind-altering substances. However, this time, "Kentucky man" turned to "Florida man" and said, "Hold my beer."
Largest Payout in KY Lottery History
On April 28th, Shannon Farthing and his mother, Linda Grizzle, won the largest payout in Kentucky Lottery history, $167.3 million. Then, Shannon did what a lot of folks would do after winning a bunch of money: he went on vacation.
Well, With a Name Like That...
He also did what a lot of folks WOULDN'T do: he kicked a police officer in the face. Allegedly, during a bar fight in St. Pete Beach, Florida, at Tradewinds Resort where Shannon and his girlfriend were celebrating the big win. Her name? Jacqueline Fightmaster. You can't make this up.
Early Wednesday morning, the two were arrested after drunken altercations with other patrons led to Farthing punching a man in the face. The arrest warrant said a sheriff's deputy then tried to intervene when he was injured as well.
WKYT interviewed Farthing and his mom when they won the jackpot and has more details on what has occurred since. What he shares is a little, well, ironic:
According to USA Today, "Farthing is being charged with one felony count of battery on a law enforcement officer and two misdemeanor counts of battery and resisting an officer, according to online court records. His girlfriend is being charged with one misdemeanor count of disorderly conduct."
A look on the bright side, at least he has bail money? Here's hoping the two lovebirds have gotten that out of their system, learned their lesson, and can use this newfound fortune for good things.
Odd Kentucky Laws You Probably Didn't Know Were Still on the Books
Gallery Credit: Dave Spencer