Felony Dealing Charges Filed After Traffic Stop In Hobart
A Hobart man, identified as 42-year-old Michael J. Willis, has been charged in Lake Superior Court after police say a traffic stop for a broken tail light led to the discovery of multiple individually packaged quantities of fentanyl and methamphetamine.
According to court documents, on November 15, 2025, an officer observed a passenger vehicle near 37th Avenue and Sandusky Street in Hobart with a broken tail light and saw the vehicle swerving over the center line several times. A BMV search of the registered owner, Michael Willis, showed he was suspended. The officer activated emergency lights and stopped the vehicle, which nearly struck another vehicle while pulling over.
As the officer approached, Willis was allegedly moving frantically and shouted, “What did I do wrong?” The officer recognized him from his BMV photograph. Willis was sweating profusely. When asked for his license, he said he was suspended and did not have one. When asked if he was under the influence of alcohol or narcotics, he initially denied it but then admitted he had smoked meth earlier in the day and had not slept in several hours.
Willis was asked to step out of the vehicle. According to the affidavit, he began reaching between the driver’s seat and center console before exiting. During a pat-down, a large plastic baggie was located in his front left pocket, and Willis attempted to pull away as it was retrieved. The bag contained:
• Fifteen individually packaged baggies of fentanyl weighing a collective 8.5 grams (field-tested positive)
• Three individually packaged baggies of methamphetamine weighing 2.6 grams (field-tested positive)
A BMV record check showed Willis had a prior conviction for Driving While Suspended on February 2018.
Charges filed November 17,2025:
• Dealing in a Narcotic Drug – Level 3 Felony
• Dealing in Methamphetamine – Level 4 Felony
• Possession of a Narcotic Drug – Level 5 Felony
• Possession of Methamphetamine – Level 6 Felony
• Driving While Suspended (Prior Conviction) – Class A Misdemeanor
Lodged in the Lake County Jail.
