Man sentenced for having drugs, gun near southwest Columbus school

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- A man convicted of having drugs and a gun near a school on Columbus' southwest side will spend the next seven years in prison. 

Adrian McKinney, 29, of Columbus, was sentenced Thursday in U.S. District Court for illegally possessing a firearm and narcotics within 1,000 feet of Wedgewood Middle School. 

According to court records, police executed a search warrant at McKinney’s Wedgewood Village apartment in March 2024, where officers found cocaine, fentanyl, and a loaded firearm.  

McKinney was convicted of multiple drug crimes in the past and as a felon, was not legally allowed to possess a gun or ammunition, the U.S. District Attorney's Office said. 

In August, McKinney pleaded guilty to possessing with intent to distribute cocaine near a school, illegally possessing a firearm as a convicted felon, and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. 

The case was investigated by Columbus Division of Police’s Wedgewood Enforcement team, dedicated to addressing crime in the apartment complex, the attorney’s office said.