FRANKFORT, KY (Thursday, May 1, 2025) – A Harrodsburg, Ky., man, Wayne Jerome Johnson, 46, was sentenced on Monday by U.S. District Judge Gregory Van Tatenhove to 300 months in prison for possession with intent to distribute cocaine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
According to court documents, on November 17, 2021, law enforcement observed Johnson distributing drugs out of two rooms at the Economy Inn in Harrodsburg and conducted an authorized search of those rooms, finding over 50 grams of a methamphetamine, heroin, and fentanyl mixture, as well as 32 grams of cocaine in separate bags. Law enforcement also found a loaded pistol, ammunition, magazines, cash, and other drug trafficking paraphernalia. Johnson admitted to possessing the drugs with intent to distribute and possessing the firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. Also, Johnson was aware at the time of his arrest that he had prior felony convictions and was prohibited from possessing a firearm.
Johnson had previously been convicted of two counts of trafficking in a controlled substance first degree in Mercer Circuit Court in October 2000, and one count of trafficking in a controlled substance first degree in Mercer Circuit Court in 2018.
Under federal law, Johnson must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence. Upon his release from prison, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for eight years.
Paul McCaffrey, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; John Nokes, Special Agent in Charge, ATF, Louisville Field Division; Phillip J. Burnett, Jr., Commissioner of the Kentucky State Police, and Chief Scott Elder, Harrodsburg Police Department, jointly announced the sentence.
The investigation was conducted by ATF, KSP, and Harrodsburg Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Roger West is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.
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