Kentucky dad rages after court-approved release of repeat offender leads to family’s kidnapping

A Louisville father is demanding answers after a repeat offender, who had been released early from a 14-year prison sentence under “shock probation,” allegedly broke into his home, kidnapped his wife and two sons at knifepoint, and forced them to help rob a local bank.

“It’s pure shock… your heart feels like it falls out of your body,” Brandon Strong told “Fox & Friends” Tuesday as he recalled the terrifying moment he learned what had happened.

“It’s a call you never expect to get as a father, a husband or even a human.”

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Armond Langford reportedly entered Strong’s home and forced his wife and two of his three children to drive him to a nearby PNC Bank. 

Langford fled the scene after robbing the bank, sending police on an hours-long manhunt before he was apprehended. Strong’s wife was transported to the hospital and treated for stab wounds.

Langford boasts a lengthy track record, including 19 robberies and one burglary. He was sentenced to 14 years in prison in February 2024 but was released six months later when Judge Jessica Green granted him shock probation, according to a local report.

Shock probation is a legal provision that allows a judge to release an offender early from prison, often after serving just a few months of a longer sentence, and place them under strict probation supervision. 

The idea is that the initial “shock” of incarceration will be enough to deter the individual from committing future crimes.

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Langford is now in custody on a $1 million bond, but questions are mounting about why he was free in the first place.

Strong slammed the court system for the release and directed a message to the judge. 

“It’s squarely on you. This is something that was not a surprise to anyone… it’s a pattern. This is something that’s stemming back nearly a decade. This guy is robbing people, he’s robbing businesses, and you stamped this for him to be rehabilitated based on what?

“It’s unbelievable that this was allowed to happen,” he continued later.

“This was not a guy running red lights for a few years. This is a guy committing serious crimes, and he was robbing people…. why wouldn’t he? I mean, he’s not getting into any trouble,” Strong said.