A Delphi man was sentenced in Marshall County Superior Court No. 1 following a bench trial. Judge Robert O. Bowen sentenced 51-year-old Thomas Willis on Thursday, July 9 on charges of dealing in methamphetamine as a Level 2 Felony and a sentence enhancement of habitual offender.
The charges stem from an Aug. 11, 2019 incident where a Marshall County Sheriff’s Department deputy pulled over a vehicle on U.S. 31 south of 19th Road after observing several violations. As the deputy was detaining the passengers in the vehicle, he found a clear, plastic bag containing a substance on the ground under the passenger side door. It was determined that Willis made an effort to conceal the bag by placing it on the ground and kicked it underneath the vehicle as he exited. The substance inside the bag field-tested positive for methamphetamine. The lab testing revealed that the bag weighed 28.03 grams.
The habitual enhancement trial was held on Thursday, July 9 where Judge Bowen found that Marshall County Chief Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Tami Napier met the burden of proof in that Willis is a habitual offender based on his two prior, unrelated felony convictions out of Elkhart County.
Willis was sentenced to serve 30 years in the Indiana Department of Corrections on the dealing in methamphetamine charge and 10 years on the habitual offender enhancement. He will have to serve the 30 year sentence before he can serve the 10 year sentence enhancement.
Chief Deputy Prosecutor Tami Napier, commented, “Deputy Bennett’s alertness, training, and experience prevented a drug dealer from using Marshall County roadways as a means of transporting, distributing and selling methamphetamine. Willis is a habitual offender who, despite previous attempts at rehabilitation, continues to break the law. Willis had a fair trial on the merits and Judge Bowen sentenced Willis accordingly.”
