Meth and Sex Toys Recovered From Jeep After Gary Man Escapes Police Pursuit
A Gary man is facing multiple felony charges after allegedly fleeing from officers twice in less than a week and leaving behind methamphetamine and bags containing adult sex toys inside a vehicle he abandoned during the first pursuit.
According to court documents, the first incident occurred around 9:16 a.m. on July 2, 2025, when a Gary Police Department officer, in full uniform and driving a fully marked police vehicle, observed a red Jeep Grand Cherokee near 17th Avenue and Virginia Street. The officer recognized the driver as Shomari L. Hicks, whom he knew from several prior law enforcement contacts.
As the officer attempted to get behind the Jeep, Hicks accelerated at a high rate of speed. A traffic stop was initiated, but Hicks refused to pull over. He ran a stop sign at 19th Avenue and continued evading officers before abandoning the vehicle in an alley and fleeing on foot.
According to court documents, as Hicks continued through the alley, he entered an area with heavy brush and overgrown trees. Officers lost sight of him in that area and conducted a search, but were unable to locate him.
An inventory search of the Jeep was conducted before it was towed. Officers found several bags with adult sex toys inside of it in the Jeep, along with a purple and blue tablet next to the gear shift in front of the center console that later tested positive for methamphetamine. They also located the Jeep’s key fob and a Visa card bearing Hicks’ name. The recovered tablet weighed .4 grams.
Court documents indicate Hicks has a history of fleeing law enforcement, including a 2016 felony conviction in Cook County, Illinois for aggravated fleeing in a vehicle, and multiple convictions in Indiana for resisting law enforcement, most recently in February 2025. He remains on probation for that offense.
Around 11:41 a.m. on July 7, 2025, Hicks was seen arriving at a residence in the 1100 block of Pyramid Drive in a silver Chrysler 300. As officers approached, Hicks ran into the home. Police set up a perimeter, and after speaking with Hicks’ mother, he came out and was taken into custody without incident.
Hicks has never been issued a drivers license in Indiana and he only has an identification card with the same Suspended-Infraction status for his ID card.
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Charges filed on July 8, 2025:
• Resisting Law Enforcement – uses vehicle and has prior resisting with a vehicle (Level 4 Felony)
• Resisting Law Enforcement – uses a vehicle (Level 6 Felony)
• Possession of Methamphetamine under 5 grams (Level 6 Felony)
• Resisting Law Enforcement – knowingly or intentionally flees from law enforcement (Class A Misdemeanor)
• Resisting Law Enforcement – knowingly or intentionally flees from law enforcement (Class A Misdemeanor)
• Operating a Motor Vehicle Without Ever Receiving a License (Class C Misdemeanor)
• Operating a Motor Vehicle Without Ever Receiving a License (Class C Misdemeanor)
Hicks is currently lodged in the Lake County Jail.
