Marie Holmes’ Marijuana Bust: $188 Million Lottery Winner Charged With Drug Possession

Marie Holmes made national news when the unemployed mother of four won $188 million in the Powerball Jackpot. But now Holmes is topping headlines for a different reason — the 26-year-old was recently cited for possession of marijuana.

According to a report from Fox 8, sheriff deputies cited Marie Holmes with possession of marijuana on Thursday. The citation revealed that Holmes had a half ounce or less of marijuana and drug paraphernalia at her home.

Marie Holmes’ marijuana charge stemmed from an investigation into a man who had been living in her home. Based on information from the police report, deputies showed up at Holmes’ residence to serve an arrest warrant for her roommate for violating the terms of his release.

WECT reports that 31-year-old Lamarr McDow had missed curfew, which is a violation of his pretrial release agreement. When detectives arrived at the home, they immediately noticed a strong smell of marijuana. A search of the home revealed that McDow, an alleged gang member, had a .45 caliber pistol. He was taken to jail for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and was also cited for simple possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia. At the time the search warrant was executed, there were four adults and three children in the home. Marie Holmes, McDow, and two other men all received charges for marijuana possession and possession of marijuana paraphernalia.

Marie Holmes gained instant fame after she won the lottery back in February of this year. Holmes was one of three $188 million winners of a $564 million jackpot. She was interviewed by several news stations and even made an appearance on Good Morning America.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KYBmXvW4lw

Holmes told reporters that she was forced to quit her jobs at Wal-Mart and McDonald’s to care for her four children, one of whom has cerebral palsy.

“I don’t have to worry about the word ‘struggle’ no more, and neither do they,” she said during an interview. “I just want them to understand that money doesn’t change you, but it can help you, so they don’t have to worry about debt, none of that. They can go to college; they don’t have to worry about nothing. And I’m glad that I can do that for them.”

As a previous report from the Inquisitr notes, Marie Holmes had promised to better the lives of her children. Holmes expressed her plans to donate money to her church, buy a new home, and establish college funds for her kids. But it appears her plans didn’t go as expected because when police arrived, they found her living in a trailer with drugs and she was in the presence of a convicted felon.

[Image via Good Morning America]