Michael David Horton, 44, Chesterfield
HANCOCK COUNTY — A Chesterfield man is facing several felony drug crimes in the county, including dealing illegal drugs after officials found cocaine, methamphetamine and fentanyl in the vehicle he was driving following a traffic stop in Fortville.
Michael David Horton, 44, has been charged with two Level 2 felony counts of dealing cocaine and narcotic drugs; a Level 3 felony count of dealing methamphetamine; two Level 4 felony counts of possession of narcotic drugs and possession of cocaine as well as a Level 5 felony count of possession of methamphetamine.
Horton’s case was opened in Hancock County Superior Court 1 on Monday. That’s where Judge D.J. Davis entered a not guilty plea on Horton’s behalf, set a $40,000 cash bond and appointed a public defender for Horton. According to court records, Horton is due back in court Sept. 25 for a pretrial hearing.
According to a probable cause affidavit on Aug. 20 an officer with the Fortville Police Department conducted a traffic stop at the intersection of Delaware Street and Madison Street. The driver identified himself as a “Jeremy Wilbur.” Officials noted in the report they were having a difficult time getting any return on the information the driver provided.
The report noted other officers on the scene separated the driver and a female passenger in the vehicle and started interviewing them and found out the driver’s real name was Horton. They also found Horton had warrants issued through Madison County. Due to that, Horton was arrested at the time.
Officials stated in the report the vehicle the two people were in was known to officers in the area as a vehicle that frequently visits a place known for narcotic use in Fortville, so they wanted to conduct a search.
According to the report, the female in the vehicle told officials the car belonged to her mother. Officials deployed a K-9 and conducted an open-air sniff around the vehicle and had a positive K-9 indication around the driver’s side of the vehicle.
A search of the vehicle then turned up a plastic shopping bag that was balled up and stuffed in the lower left corner of the pocket located on the back on the passenger seat, the affidavit said. Inside the plastic bag, officials found two small, clear plastic baggies. One of the plastic baggies contained a white, powdery substance. The second plastic baggie contained several small, white, crystalline substances.
Officials noted a field test kit indicated a positive hit on the white powdery substance for cocaine and Fentanyl. A field test on the white crystalline substance indicated a positive hit for methamphetamine.
According to the report, the woman in the vehicle was not arrested.
