http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGBC1AC0P2E.htmlCHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) - The world's first glimpse of Jack Whittaker, winner of the richest undivided lottery jackpot in U.S. history, was of a boisterous, happy-go-lucky guy in a big cowboy hat who loved his family, work and God and promised to share his good fortune with the church and the poor.
Two years later, the picture the public is seeing now is a mug shot of a haggard, somber Whittaker.
Whittaker, 57, has been arrested twice for drunken driving in the past year and has been ordered to go into rehab by Jan. 2 for a 28-day stay. He also faces charges he attacked a bar manager, and is accused in two lawsuits of making trouble at a nightclub and a racetrack.
But in August 2003, a briefcase containing $545,000 in cash and cashier's checks was stolen from Whittaker's sport utility vehicle while it was parked at a strip club, and police disclosed that Whittaker not only frequented strip clubs but was also a high-stakes gambler - which is why he was carrying so much cash. snip
"As if we needed another hit on our image as a backward, hillbilly state, along comes Jack Whittaker to reinforce the comedy cracks like Jay Leno makes," groused Dewey Large of Princeton. "This clown is not capable of handling a $10 bill, much less all those millions. Every time you turn around he's having trouble with the laws of our state. What a waste of all that money." snip
Today, his charitable foundation is closed, according to a secretary at Whittaker's company. The legal troubles have raised questions about whether he will be able to fulfill his many promises to help others.
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