Powerball winner Marie Holmes, 26, has taken a lot of heat for standing by her troubled man, Lamarr McDow, despite his multiple arrests for gang and drug related activity. As you may recall, shortly after Holmes walked away with $188 million in February 2015, she posted a $3 million bail for McDow in March for a November arrest, after being caught with 8,000 bags of heroin. Soon after in August, 2015 McDow found himself in hot water again, when he landed back in jail for violating his initial bond agreement. At that time, the mother of four posted an additional $6 million bail.
But it doesn’t stop there. On Dec. 26, McDow was again arrested in Brunswick County, North Carolina for attempting to arrange a street car race. Hours following his arrest, Holmes posted a whopping $12 million bail and McDow was again released on bond. Some question Holmes’ sanity to continue to invest in a man who clearly has a lack of respect for the well-being of her life and her children’s and, evidently, his own.
Holmes originally addressed her critics via Facebook writing, “What y’all need to be worried about is y’all money and not how I spend mine this is benefiting y’all how? And no he’s no drug dealer or user but who are y’all to judge anybody? I will definitely pray for y’all because it’s much need [sic] … they talked about Jesus so I’m not surprised y’all are talking about me but be blessed though.”
Now, nearly a year after his girlfriend struck gold, McDow is breaking his silence with a message to his haters. “We are a couple, and I am the father of her youngest child,” McDow told The Daily Mail. “This is what people do for each other. She has the money and she can do what she wants with it.” He continued, “If I had that money then I would do the same for her. People are just jealous because of how much she won, and people want to see me locked in jail.”
Not one for personal accountability, McDow blamed the justice system for his legal woes. “I’m on these charges because of the color of my skin. This is a very dangerous place for a black man,” McDow said of North Carolina’s justice system. “There is no one else who has had their bail set so high. It is not right,” McDow added. “They have only out that on [sic] because they know my girlfriend has the money. They did not want to let me out of jail but when she won the lottery they had to and they didn’t like that.” Concluding, “People do make mistakes, but she should be allowed to do what she wants,” McDow said. “People can say what they like and it don’t hurt us. She is standing by her man.”
Nevertheless, McDow’s consistent run-in’s with the law have people wondering if he’ll ever get it together to give the woman “standing by her man,” the stability she and her children deserve. Or, if Holmes will continue to allow McDow’s to use her as his golden ticket to continue his criminal activity. One thing is certain – Brunswick County and other local municipalities see Holme’s as their golden ticket as well.
