Suspected drug dealer leads police on chase through Merrillville with 1-year-old inside van: sheriff​on March 28, 2025 at 4:54 pm

MERRILLVILLE, Ind. (WLS) — A suspected drug dealer is being held behind bars after leading police on a chase with a 1-year-old boy inside the vehicle on Thursday, officials said.

The Lake County, Indiana sheriff said they tried to stop the man near his home on Polk Street in Merrillville, but he sped off. The child and his mother were both inside the van.

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Police eventually stopped the van on 73rd Avenue, east of Taft Street.

Medical staff on the scene checked out the 1-year-old and his mom, who were both released uninjured.

When officers searched the man’s home, they found suspected dynamite and large amounts of multiple drugs.

The Porter County Bomb Squad was called to the scene to safely remove the explosives from the home.

The 40-year-old man is being held at the Lake County Jail.