For lottery winner, $113m hasn't bought happiness

''That's probably the unfortunate situation of maybe having too much money, too much time on his hands," said Steve Zubrzycki, who works for a company that started selling ''Where's Jack?" T-shirts after authorities issued an arrest warrant for Whittaker earlier this month.

Although he was already a wealthy contractor, Whittaker became an instant celebrity on Christmas Day 2002 after winning a $314.9 million Powerball jackpot. He took his winnings in a lump sum of $113 million after taxes, and at a news conference in which he came across as a jolly saint, he promised to donate one-tenth to his church and contribute to other causes.

He soon created a charity to help people find jobs, buy food, or get an education; he split $7 million among three churches; and he gave money to improve a Little League park and buy playground equipment and coloring books for children.

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. 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.

The break-in was the first of several thefts involving Whittaker's vehicle, his office, and his house in Scott Depot, a booming bedroom community of about 8,000 situated between Charleston and Huntington, West Virginia's two biggest cities.

One of the thefts occurred at his home on the same day an 18-year-old friend of Whittaker's granddaughter was found dead there. The death remains under investigation. Whittaker was out of town at the time, but the young man's death made the lottery winner part of yet another front-page story.

In May, two men sued Whittaker, contending that they were injured when they were tossed out of a nightclub at his request. In another lawsuit, three female employees of a racetrack said Whittaker assaulted them last year.

In January, he was accused of threatening and assaulting a bar manager; on Monday, he was fined $100 and ordered to attend weekly Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.