Traffic stop ends in handgun and OWI arrest
At 12:37 a.m. on March 2, a captain with the La Porte County Sheriff’s office was traveling west on Springland Avenue when he noticed a vehicle traveling east on Springland Avenue ignore a four-way stop sign, reports said.
The captain initiated a traffic stop on Springland Avenue near Karwick Road.
An officer with the Michigan City Police Department and his K-9 partner arrived to help the La Porte County captain at the scene.
The K-9 was instructed to sniff the car and alerted officers to a scent, officials said.
A search of the vehicle led to the discovery of a Glock handgun and a partially consumed alcoholic beverage, officers reported.
The driver of the vehicle, 37-year-old Branden Hewlett of Michigan City, was taken into custody and brought to the Michigan City Police Department while officials continued the operating while intoxicated investigation.
Hewlett was then taken to the La Porte County Jail and is facing the following preliminary charges, officials said:
- Carrying a handgun without a license (with prior conviction)
- Operating while intoxicated, Class A-Misdemeanor
- Operating while intoxicated, Class C-Misdemeanor
Hewlett is being held on a $15,305 cash-only bond.