On Aug. 8, Louisville Metro Police officials allege, Langford broke into a home in the 100 block of South Whipps Mill Road and abducted a woman and two of her children in the woman’s car. The woman drove the car to a bank in the 8000 block of Shelbyville Road and pulled into a drive-thru window. Langford demanded cash and received an undisclosed sum, then he left the area on foot. Later that day, police arrested Langford near a retail store on Shelbyville Road.
Langford now faces five charges of first degree robbery, one charge of kidnapping an adult, two charges of kidnapping a minor and one charge of first degree assault. Jefferson District Court Judge Jennifer Leibson set a cash bond of $1 million during an arraignment hearing Aug. 9. Records show Langford was not present for the hearing. Another hearing is scheduled for Aug. 11.
Several Louisville-area Republican lawmakers criticized the earlier shock probation order in social media posts on Aug. 9.
In a statement posted to Facebook on Aug. 9, Rep. Jason Nemes, R-Middletown, said Langford would not have been granted shock probation if the Safer Kentucky Act had been passed beforehand (the legislature overruled Gov. Andy Beshear’s veto of the act on April 12, 2024).
The act states any “violent offender,” which includes anyone convicted of first or second degree robbery, must complete 85% of their sentence before they are eligible for parole.
“(Republicans in the state legislature) will take a close look at this case and Mr. Langford’s history to see if more changes need to be made,” Nemes wrote. “But, to be clear, had HB 5 been the law Mr. Langford would not have been out of prison to commit these heinous crimes and to traumatize this family, including two children.”
Anthony Piagentini, Republican Metro councilman for District 19 in the East End, wrote Aug. 9 he would be “exploring all options including impeachment” after learning of the shock probation order Green had granted Langford. He added he wants to “send a message that this community is damn tired of judges undermining the safety of our city.”
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Reach reporter Leo Bertucci at lbertucci@gannett.com or @leober2chee on X, formerly known as Twitter
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville bank robbery suspect once had 14-year prison sentence dropped