(Michigan City, IN) - A traffic stop in Michigan City uncovered a suspected dealer of methamphetamine.  Thomas McGowan, 62, is charged in La Porte Superior Court 1 with dealing in methamphetamine.

According to court documents, police stopped his vehicle last week at U.S. 421 and Kieffer Road for a not having a working license plate light.  After a small amount of marijuana was found in the vehicle, police said 28 grams of methamphetamine was located in the pocket of a coat laying in the back seat.  Another substance, suspected to be cocaine, was also recovered from the pocket of his cargo pants.

McGowan revealed he’s a recovering addict who uses only a small amount of narcotics at a time, police said. He also disclosed to police that he was going to sell the methamphetamine on behalf of someone else because it’s easier to sell the drug in Michigan City than bubble gum or cigarettes. 

McGowan could face anywhere from a 10 to 30 year sentence.  McGowan has a prior conviction for dealing methamphetamine from 2014 in downstate Cass County.