Merrillville Man Sentenced to 71 Months Imprisonment For Possession with Intent to Distribute Cocaine and Heroin

 HAMMOND- Darrell Loving, 32, of Merrillville, Indiana, was sentenced by Judge James T. Moody to 71 months in prison following his guilty plea to possession with intent to distribute cocaine and heroin, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Bell.

According to documents in the case, on December 11, 2019, at approximately midnight, Loving fled from an attempted traffic stop conducted by Indiana State Police on U.S. Highway 30 in Hobart, Indiana.  Loving dragged an Indiana State Trooper approximately ten feet with his vehicle, resulting in the trooper suffering abrasions.  Loving then fled westbound on U.S. Highway 30 in Merrillville past Interstate 65, speeding at 100 miles per hour and coming within inches or feet of hitting occupied police vehicles stopped at an unrelated accident scene.  Loving sped through multiple red lights before pulling into a parking lot and fleeing on foot while tossing a bag containing cocaine and heroin.  Loving has prior felony convictions for distribution of cocaine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.      

During the sentencing hearing, the government asked for an enhanced sentence due to Loving’s conduct which posed a substantial risk of death or bodily injury to more than one person.      

This case was the result of the investigative efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Gang Response Investigative Team, Indiana State Police, and Hobart and Merrillville Police Departments.  This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David J. Nozick.