Indiana Man Sentenced to 17 1/2 Years for Drug and Firearm Offenses
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – Alfred A. Cooke, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration-Merrillville, Indiana, and Acting U.S. Attorney Tina L. Nommay for the Northern District of Indiana announced that Willie J. Hatch, 32, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Chief Judge Holly A. Brady, following his plea of guilty to five drug counts and a finding of guilt by a jury on a gun count.
Hatch was sentenced to 210 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release.
According to documents in the case, on four occasions in September and October 2022, Hatch distributed methamphetamine. In October 2022, Hatch possessed with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possessed a firearm while being a prohibited person. He pleaded guilty to the five drug counts, and after a trial in December 2024, a jury found him guilty of the firearm offense.
This case was investigated by the DEA, the Fort Wayne Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stacey Speith and Justin Sheridan.
