A 32-year-old East Chicago man is facing multiple felony charges after Lafayette police say he strangled a woman, dragged her through her home, and threw a knife that narrowly missed a child during a violent confrontation last week. Devonte White was arrested last Monday, following a 911 call reporting that a man was allegedly beating a woman inside a Lafayette residence.
According to the Purdue Exponent, officers responding to the call heard White allegedly yelling at the woman inside the residence, per the probable cause affidavit. The woman had been in a relationship with White that ended roughly a year before the incident, but she had invited his sister over for dinner that evening — unaware, police say, that White would come along with her.
Strangulation and a Knife Thrown Near a Child
Court documents describe a harrowing scene once officers arrived. White allegedly pinned the woman to a wall by her neck while a child witnessed the alleged strangulation, and he is accused of dragging the woman back to a bedroom and slamming her head onto the bathroom tile floor. The woman reportedly spit up blood after the assault.
Police say White also threw a table at a wall, punched a hole in another wall, and cut into a bedroom closet wall with a knife. According to the affidavit, he threatened the woman with that knife and threw it at the child, who was uninjured after it missed. When officers arrived, a responding deputy reportedly noticed holes in the wall and general disarray throughout the home, and police recovered a knife matching descriptions given by both the woman and the child.
Attempted to Flee, Allegedly Intoxicated
Police say White attempted to leave the residence through a rear entrance as officers arrived, and he was allegedly intoxicated at the scene, according to responding police. He is also accused of spitting in the woman's face during the encounter.
White now faces felony charges of criminal confinement, intimidation, domestic battery, strangulation, and attempted battery by means of a deadly weapon, along with a misdemeanor charge of domestic battery by bodily waste. The Tippecanoe County Prosecutor's Office reported his cash bond at $25,000 as of Friday.
Why the Charges Carry Heavy Legal Weight
The severity of the charges reflects Indiana's statutory approach to domestic violence cases involving children and weapons. Under Indiana Code § 35-42-2-1.3, domestic battery escalates from a misdemeanor to a Level 6 felony when committed in the physical presence of a child under 16 who might see or hear the act, according to Marc Lopez Law Firm. Strangulation itself is classified as a standalone Level 6 felony under Indiana Code § 35-42-2-9, carrying a prison sentence of six months to two and a half years and fines up to $10,000, per Hayes Law Office.
Criminal confinement charges can also escalate quickly under state law. Indiana Code § 35-42-3-3 sets confinement as a Level 6 felony that rises to a Level 5 felony carrying up to six years in prison if the restraint results in bodily injury to the victim, the firm notes. Domestic battery involving a deadly weapon can likewise reach Level 5 felony status, punishable by one to six years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine.
Indiana law also bars felony domestic battery charges from being reduced to misdemeanors once filed, under Indiana Code § 35-50-2-7 — meaning prosecutors have limited room to negotiate down White's charges. State law further mandates automatic no-contact orders when a defendant is released on bail for a violent crime causing bodily injury to a domestic partner, under Indiana Code § 35-33-8-3.6. A conviction on the strangulation or elevated battery charges would also designate White a “serious violent felon” under Indiana Code § 35-47-4-5, permanently barring him from possessing firearms, according to FindLaw.
Local Support Available in Tippecanoe County
Community resources for domestic violence victims have deep roots in the area. YWCA Greater Lafayette provides emergency housing, 24-hour crisis response, and legal advocacy for domestic violence victims across Tippecanoe County through its Domestic Violence Intervention and Prevention Program. The organization traces the county's coordinated response system back to 1978, after local research documented 146 cases of domestic abuse, which led to the formation of the county's Domestic Violence Task Force in 1987.
