A Portage 41-year-old, Thomas Christopher Gaboian, was charged after police reportedly found him passed out inside a vehicle and later discovered individually packaged cocaine, according to court documents.
Police were dispatched April 8, 2026, to the 2700 block of Clay Street in Lake Station for a welfare check of a male passed out in a vehicle. According to the affidavit, officers arrived and located Gaboian slumped over inside a blue Honda parked along the side of the road. Court documents state Gaboian told officers he had just pulled over.
According to police, Gaboian was observed speaking fast, appeared excited, and had dilated pupils. Officers reported he submitted to field sobriety testing and failed the horizontal gaze nystagmus, walk-and-turn, and one-leg stand tests.
A K9 conducted a free-air sniff of the vehicle and alerted to the presence of narcotics, according to the affidavit. During a search, officers reportedly located a bag in the driver’s side door containing 17 individually packaged and rubber-banded baggies of a white powdery substance, along with two cell phones.
Police stated the substance weighed approximately 13.2 grams and field-tested positive for cocaine. Investigators alleged the quantity and packaging indicated the cocaine was possessed with intent to deliver.
Court records indicate Gaboian has a prior conviction for dealing in a narcotic drug in Lake County from February 2017.
Lodged in the Lake County Jail.
Charges filed April 9,2026:
Dealing in Cocaine; Possession with Intent, >10 grams – Level 2 Felony
Possession of Cocaine; Between 10–28 grams, Enhancing Circumstance – Level 3 Felony
Possession of Cocaine; Between 10–28 grams – Level 4 Felony
