Hammond man gets 8 years for being ‘drug runner’
A Hammond man was sentenced to eight years in federal prison Wednesday after he admitted he was a drug runner.
Fernando Porras Jr., 64, pleaded guilty in August to distributing methamphetamine and cocaine.
He will also serve four years on supervised release after prison.
In court filings, Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Toth wrote Porras assisted co-defendant Deandre Johnson with drug buys in Dolton, Illinois, and later in Gary from May 2023 to March 2024.
Porras got probation for a 1983 drug conviction. He spent 12 years in prison for a 1998 LSD dealing conviction. After the 1990s, he racked up nearly a dozen smaller misdemeanor cases ranging from “low-level drug offenses” to check deception, Toth wrote.
Defense lawyer Matthew Soliday wrote that his client attempted to stay out of major trouble with the law for decades. After Porras’ son died in 2021, he lost his job and apartment, and he “began to spiral,” he wrote.
Merrillville man charged with beating woman
A Merrillville man is charged after allegedly breaking back into his girlfriend’s home, breaking her nose and rupturing her eardrum while their 6-month-old infant was sleeping.
Joseph Sanders, 25, is charged with aggravated battery, two counts of criminal confinement, three counts of domestic battery and one count of intimidation.
He is in custody, held without bail.
The victim told Merrillville Police they were having an argument about their relationship and he accused her of cheating before he left for an hour. He later returned and threw a shovel through a front window to break into the home, then beat her.
Indianapolis man charged in drunken U-Haul crash
An Indianapolis man is facing charges after allegedly driving drunk and crashing a U-Haul truck into another vehicle.
Darryl Stockard, 66, is charged with two felony counts and two misdemeanor counts of operating a vehicle while intoxicated.
He hasn’t been apprehended. When arrested, he is ordered held on a $2,000 cash bond.
Merrillville Police responded Sept. 30 around 5 p.m. to the intersection of U.S. 30 and Cleveland Place.
There, Stockard was in a U-Haul truck. His “speech” and “movements” were slow and officers noted his pupils were dilated.
After the other driver provided their information, they let that vehicle go.
When they asked Stockard to step out, he stumbled out of the vehicle. A breathalyzer showed he was over the legal limit for alcohol.
A witness said the U-Haul was swerving in and out of lanes and breaking randomly before crashing into the other car. Stockard appeared to stumble to the other vehicle, charges state.
Records show he had two operating a vehicle while intoxicated convictions dating back to 1990 and 2021.
mcolias@post-trib.com
