KY deputies stop man with guns, body armor, knives who said he was going to military base
A Wisconsin man stopped by Kentucky deputies last week was allegedly on his way to a local military base with several guns, body armor and a camera, according to court records from state and federal officials.
The incident occurred in the early-morning hours Thursday when deputies from the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office saw Alexander Laykovich, 26, driving erratically on U.S. Highway 150 west, according to his arrest citation. The sheriff’s deputy pulled Laykovich over on a vacant drive next to a closed business 3 miles west of Stanford.
Officials discovered Laykovich had on body armor, according to his arrest citation. He told deputies he was in the military and was going to Fort Knox, but didn’t have military ID on him. Deputies asked Laykovich to get out of his car and saw a handgun on the driver’s seat, court documents say.
Deputies later searched the rest of the car and found eight guns, which included a Franklin Armory lower receiver model FAI-15 and a Palmetto State Armory pistol brace rifle model PA-15, according to court documents. He was also in possession of a 37mm smoke/flare launcher.
Authorities also found that Laykovich had multiple knives, a loaded magazine, percocet pills, a large amount of money and an activated body camera, according to court documents.
Laykovich was previously banned for life from buying firearms after a circuit court in Missouri ruled on Jan. 27, 2023, he had mental health issues significant enough to prohibit him from having guns. Court documents say two of the guns were purchased by someone else for Laykovich in October. Laykovich told authorities he previously sought medical care from Veterans Affairs Health Care and was going into intensive care management for post-traumatic stress disorder, a traumatic brain injury and a stroke.
Both federal and state authorities have filed court documents supporting charges against Laykovich.
He is facing state charges of careless driving, trafficking a controlled substance (opiates), trafficking marijuana and having a prescription-controlled substance that’s not in a proper container. He’s also charged with unlawfully possessing a firearm in federal court, according to court documents.
Laykovich was in the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, which is used to prevent prohibited people from buying guns, court documents say. In April he was charged with carrying a concealed weapon in Waukesha, Wisconsin, after he was found with a flamethrower, a large amount of ammunition and marijuana during a traffic stop.
After his arrest, Laykovich told sheriff’s deputies was in inactive status with the U.S. Army and was traveling to Fort Knox to deal with an issue with his security clearance, court documents say.
The FBI task officer who filed the criminal complaint in federal court has a “primary investigative responsibility for terrorism violations,” court documents say.
Cassandra Mullins, a spokesperson for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, confirmed there is an active joint federal investigation into the incident. The FBI did not provide comment
“ATF is working with our federal partners and the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office. Because this investigation is ongoing, no other details will be released at this time,” Mullins said in a statement.
Laykovich is being held at the Pulaski County Detention Center, according to jail records.
