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December 6, 2009

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Winner of jackpot arrested

Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2004 | 10:05 a.m.

WINFIELD, W.Va. -- The man who won the largest single lottery jackpot in history has been accused of threatening to kill the manager of a bar.

Jack Whittaker, who hit the $314.9 million Powerball jackpot on Christmas 2002, was arraigned Tuesday by a Putnam County magistrate on charges of trying to hit and threatening to kill Todd Parsons, the manager of Billy Sundays Bar and Grill in St. Albans.

Police documents indicate Whittaker, who may have been banned from the establishment, entered the bar Sunday and argued with Parsons.

He allegedly attempted to hit the bar's manager and threatened "to have the victim and his family killed," according to police reports.

Whittaker, a Scott Depot resident, was released on $5,000 bond. He faces up to six months in jail and a $100 fine if convicted.

Whittaker received a one-time $113 million lump sum lottery payment and spent $14 million establishing the Jack Whittaker Foundation, a nonprofit which aims to help West Virginians find jobs, buy food or receive an education.

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