Landan Strong, 21, of Burlington was sentenced to 54 months in federal prison for bringing guns and fentanyl onto the Walton-Verona High School campus in October 2025.

U.S. District Judge Chad Meredith imposed the sentence Wednesday, Oct. 7, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky in Covington, as reported by the Cincinnati Enquirer. Strong pleaded guilty to possessing firearms and ammunition as a prohibited person, a restriction tied to his drug addiction. Prosecutors dismissed a second charge as part of the plea agreement.

The Oct. 8, 2025, incident triggered lockdowns at Walton-Verona High School, the district's Early Childhood Center and the nearby St. Joseph Academy Catholic school. Parents came to the schools, and Boone County Sheriff's deputies fielded numerous 911 calls, according to an Enquirer report citing the criminal citation filed.

Strong had parked on campus while attempting to buy a handgun from a nearby resident, prosecutors said. He told police he chose the school lot to "feel safe when he exited his vehicle," according to court filings.

When Strong returned to his car, school employees spotted him with a gun. He panicked after seeing a police cruiser. Strong wrapped the firearms in clothing and threw them into the woods, he later admitted to deputies. Boone County Sheriff's deputies used school surveillance cameras to locate and arrest him.

Strong led deputies to the hiding spot, where they recovered an AR-style rifle, two handguns and 64 rounds of ammunition. He was also carrying a bag of pressed fentanyl pills. A search of his Burlington home that same day turned up another gun and more fentanyl pills.

"Where he was and what he was doing induced a lot of panic," Assistant U.S. Attorney Elaine Leonhard said during the sentencing hearing.

Prosecutors said a review of Strong's cellphone showed he regularly traded firearms and narcotics. A presentence filing described him as a gun enthusiast and daily user of marijuana and fentanyl.

Strong was initially charged in Boone County Circuit Court. That case was dismissed after a federal grand jury in Covington indicted him in March.

Defense seeks treatment over prison

Defense attorney Marvin Knorr III told the court that Strong started smoking marijuana at age 13 before turning to fentanyl. Strong's father died before he was born, and Strong is a survivor of sexual abuse, Knorr said.

Knorr asked for time served or probation, arguing his client needed mental health and substance-use treatment rather than incarceration.

Strong read a letter to the judge, saying he turned to drugs to escape hardships in his life. He said he had achieved his longest period of sobriety before the school incident but relapsed after learning of a family member's cancer diagnosis.

The judge disagreed with the defense request.

Meredith chose a prison term at the low end of federal sentencing guidelines, citing Strong's challenging life circumstances. "This is a particularly difficult situation," Meredith told Strong. "There's a lot more to you than just this offense."

Strong agreed to forfeit the weapons seized during the investigation.