Frankfort, Ky. — A central Kentucky man has agreed to plead guilty in federal court to firearms and explosives charges stemming from a traffic stop that uncovered homemade explosive devices, silencer parts and multiple guns, according to a plea agreement filed this week in U.S. District Court. One of the devices was labeled “FED CASE,” investigators wrote.
Ronald Coffman will plead guilty to three felony counts, including possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and making and possessing improvised explosive devices, under an agreement with federal prosecutors filed Jan. 7. In exchange, the government will dismiss several other charges tied to the case, which remains pending against a co-defendant.
The charges date back to March 31, 2025, when Kentucky State Police troopers stopped a vehicle in Anderson County with Coffman driving and Zebadiah Murphy as a passenger, according to court records. During a search of the vehicle, troopers found ammunition belonging to Murphy and two suspected improvised explosive devices on the rear floorboard. One of the devices was labeled “FED CASE,” investigators wrote.
State police called in the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and later obtained a search warrant for Murphy’s Lawrenceburg garage. Inside, investigators found additional suspected explosive devices, materials used to make them, and a cache of weapons and gear, including five firearms, four homemade silencers, ballistic vests, ammunition and high-capacity magazines, according to the plea agreement.
ATF laboratory testing later confirmed the devices were functional explosives and that the firearms and components had been manufactured outside Kentucky, bringing the case under federal jurisdiction.
Under the plea agreement, Coffman admits he knowingly possessed the explosive devices and participated in making them, despite having prior felony drug convictions in Boyle and Mercer counties that barred him from legally possessing firearms or ammunition.
Prosecutors say Coffman faces up to 15 years in prison on the felon-in-possession charge and up to 10 years on each of the explosives-related counts, along with fines and supervised release. A federal judge will determine the final sentence after reviewing sentencing guidelines and a presentence investigation.
Coffman has also agreed to forfeit weapons and other seized property connected to the offenses and waived his right to appeal his conviction and sentence, except on limited grounds.
The case against Murphy remains pending. He has pleaded not guilty and is scheduled for trial later this year, court records show.
