A Hamilton County judge found Hammond resident Kenneth Guy guilty of dealing in a controlled substance resulting in death, closing out a bench trial tied to a January overdose death in Westfield. The verdict came down Thursday, capping a case involving cellphone records, packaging materials, a Fayette Drive residence and a Hammond home.
Judge David Najjar delivered the guilty finding at the conclusion of the trial, which began two days earlier on September 15, according to Current in Westfield. Guy faced a single charge stemming from the death of a man whose body was discovered in January, and the conviction now exposes him to decades behind bars under Indiana's sentencing structure for the offense.
How the Case Traced Back to Westfield
The investigation began January 27, when Westfield police and the Westfield Fire Department responded to a report of an unresponsive man at the 500 block of Fayette Drive. The man was pronounced dead at the scene, and investigators suspected a drug overdose, per the outlet's reporting. From there, detectives worked to identify where the fatal narcotics had originated.
Investigators determined the drugs had been purchased in Chicago and identified Guy, who lives in Hammond, as the dealer responsible for supplying them, the same report states. That determination set off a separate law-enforcement operation in Hammond.
SWAT Team Assisted With Arrest in Hammond
Guy was ultimately taken into custody during a search-warrant operation at a residence in the 7300 block of Van Buren Avenue in Hammond, where the Hammond Police Department's SWAT team assisted with the arrest, according to FOX59. During that search, officers seized multiple cellphones, drug packaging materials, suspected narcotics and approximately $1,500 in cash, the station's report notes.
The seized items were among the evidence described in reports about the case. The charge against Guy, dealing in a controlled substance resulting in death, is a Level 1 felony, the same account states, and Indiana law identifies the offense under Section 35-42-1-1.5 of the state code, according to the Indiana General Assembly.
Decades in Prison on the Table
A Level 1 felony conviction on this charge carries a prison sentence ranging from 20 to 40 years. Guy is scheduled to be sentenced on December 1, and pending that hearing, he remains in custody at the Hamilton County Jail, per the same account.
The case echoes another Indiana prosecution from 2025: a Logansport woman was sentenced to 38 years in the Indiana Department of Correction for the same Level 1 felony, dealing in a controlled substance resulting in death, according to an Indiana state events listing. That sentence sits near the upper end of the range Guy now faces.
Multiple Agencies Credited in Investigation
In announcing the verdict, the Westfield Police Department credited several partner agencies for their work on the case. The department thanked the Hamilton County Prosecutor's Office, the Hammond Police Department, the DEA and the FBI Cast Team for their roles in the investigation.
The case underscores how a single fatal overdose in a Hamilton County neighborhood can unravel into a multi-jurisdiction narcotics investigation spanning two states, from a Chicago drug purchase to a Hammond arrest to a Westfield courtroom. Guy's sentencing in December will determine where within that 20-to-40-year range his punishment ultimately falls.
