Boone County Man Sentenced for Unlawful Possession of Firearms

COVINGTON, Ky. - A Burlington, Ky., man, Landan Strong, 21, was sentenced on Wednesday to 54 months in prison and 3 years of supervised release by U.S. District Judge Chad Meredith; Strong previously pleaded guilty to possessing firearms while being an unlawful user of/addicted to controlled substances in violation of federal law.

On October 8, 2025, law enforcement responded to Walton Verona High School following multiple reports of an individual with a weapon on campus. Witnesses and school surveillance footage showed a white male with long black hair, dressed in black, conceal a firearm on school grounds. Several area schools were locked down as a result. Law enforcement identified, located, and detained the individual, Strong, who admitted hiding firearms in the woods near the high school and showed deputies where they were located.

Deputies recovered multiple loaded firearms, assorted ammunition, and the clothing Strong was wearing. Law enforcement also found pressed fentanyl pills and a small amount of marijuana on Strong. He told deputies he purchased one of the firearms that was found (a 1911-style handgun) from a friend who he had just smoked marijuana with. Strong also admitted that he had been abusing - and was addicted to - fentanyl. A subsequent search of Strong's residence resulted in the seizure of an additional .22 caliber pistol, ammunition, marijuana, blue pills, Alprazolam tablets, and drug paraphernalia.

Jason Parman, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, John Nokes, Special Agent in Charge, ATF, Louisville Field Division; and Sheriff Les K. Hill, Boone County Sheriff's Office, jointly announced the sentence.

The investigation was conducted by the ATF and Boone County Sheriff's Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elaine Leonhard is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.

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