Following a 3-day jury trial in Sumner County Criminal Court, Assistant District Attorney General Nathan Nichols secured multiple child sexual abuse-related convictions against a former Portland, Tennessee restaurant manager who groomed, sexually exploited, and had sex with a teenager who applied for work at his restaurant.
During the trial, General Nichols presented evidence to the Jury which proved that, in October 2023, Landon Justin Long, now-42, received a job application from a 16-year-old girl who was seeking employment at the Portland, Tennessee restaurant he managed. After the victim’s parents ultimately decided she could not work at the restaurant, Long continued to pursue her under the guise that he was attempting to accommodate her parents’ concerns about her working at the restaurant. Eventually, Long formed a friendship with the victim, quickly steering things in a sexual direction through a pattern of grooming which included his taking the victim out to eat, buying her gifts, sending her sexually explicit images and videos featuring himself engaging in sex acts, and, ultimately, enticing her to send him nude images of herself via the social media platform SnapChat.
Long’s crimes were discovered after friends of the victim expressed concerns about the the victim and Long’s interactions to school officials, who alerted law enforcement. Lt. James Bartolotta of the Portland Police Department launched an investigation of Long in March 2024 and presented the case to the Sumner County Grand Jury after digital evidence confirmed Long had engaged in unlawful conduct.
The Jury convicted Long of two counts of especially aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor, one count of sexual exploitation of a minor, three counts of sexual exploitation of a minor by electronic means, statutory rape by an authority figure, and aggravated statutory rape. Judge Dee David Gay immediately revoked Long’s bond pending his sentencing hearing on April 17, 2026. Due to his prior felony convictions, Long faces up to 56 years in prison, almost all of which will be served without the possibility of probation, parole, or early release. Long will also be required to register as a sexual offender.
In announcing Long’s conviction, District Attorney General Thomas Dean said the following:
“This conviction would not have been possible without the bravery of the victim, excellent investigative work of the Portland Police Department, and valuable assistance provided by Ashley’s Place. I am also grateful for the tireless efforts of Victim-Witness Coordinator Sally Ann Pirtle, who provided much needed support to the victim and her family.
Landon Long employed classic grooming and manipulation tactics to sexually exploit and, eventually, have sex with an impressionable teenager with no connection whatsoever to him other than the fact that she filled out an application to work at the restaurant he managed. How this particular defendant was able to secure a position of authority over any teenager is quite puzzling given the fact that had recently been released from prison in another state after serving a lengthy sentence for robbery and was also on active felony probation at the time he committed these crimes. My office will ask the Court to punish Long to the fullest extent of the law because he is clearly incapable of functioning in civilized society and poses a grave risk to the children of our community. This type of conduct will not be tolerated in Sumner County, Tennessee.”
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