Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

LEXINGTON, Ky. — A Versailles man, Bryan Carroll, 46, was sentenced to 180 months in federal prison on Friday, by Chief U.S. District Judge Danny C. Reeves, for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and for carrying an explosive during the commission of a federal felony offense.

According to his plea agreement, on March 25, 2021, law enforcement was notified that Carroll was enroute to the University of Kentucky Hospital, and that had an active arrest warrant. Law enforcement then met Carroll outside the Emergency Department, where he was taken into custody. During a subsequent search of Carroll and his vehicle, law enforcement located a total of eight firearms (including a sawed-off shotgun), four explosive devices and one improvised explosive bomb.

During his interview, Carroll admitted to having the firearms on him, when he was arrested, and acknowledged the additional firearms found in his vehicle. Carroll further acknowledged the “fireworks” in his vehicle, and admitted to constructing the metal can explosive devices, which contained nails. Carroll then told law enforcement that he had additional destructive devices at his home, and that he possessed a large quantity of explosive materials. Law enforcement obtained a search warrant for Carroll’s home where they located two additional firearms along with six additional improvised explosive bombs.

Carroll admitted that he possessed the firearms and explosives and that he was prohibited from doing so, based on his prior felony conviction, for complicity to traffic a controlled substance in the first degree, in the Woodford Circuit Court, from December 2015.

Under federal law, Carroll 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 three years.

Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Shawn Morrow, Special Agent in Charge, ATF, Louisville Field Division; Michael E. Stansbury, Special Agent in Charge, FBI, Louisville Field Office; Chief Michael Murray, Versailles Police Department; Chief Lawrence Weathers, Lexington Police Department; and Chief Joe Monroe, University of Kentucky Police Department, jointly announced the sentencing.

The investigation was conducted by ATF, FBI, Versailles Police Department, the Lexington Police Department and the University of Kentucky Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Francisco Villalobos prosecuted the case on behalf of the U.S.

This case was prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Neighborhoods” Program (PSN), which is a nationwide, crime reduction strategy aimed at decreasing violent crime in communities. It involves a comprehensive approach to public safety — one that includes investigating and prosecuting crimes, along with prevention and reentry efforts. In the Eastern District of Kentucky, U.S. Attorney Shier coordinates PSN efforts in cooperation with various federal, state, and local law enforcement officials.

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