Defendant Sentenced to 49 Years for Violent Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence
CROWN POINT — Lake County Prosecutor Bernard A. Carter announced that Damian Emmanuel Donaldson has been sentenced to a total of 49 years in the Indiana Department of Correction following his convictions related to a violent attack on a former partner.
The sentence was handed down in Lake Superior Court – Criminal Division in Crown Point.
The convictions stem from an October 28, 2025 incident in Gary, Indiana, where the defendant forced his way into the victim’s residence despite an active protection order. During the incident, Donaldson sexually assaulted the victim, threatened to kill her, and physically attacked her while her children were present in the home.
Donaldson was sentenced as follows:
Count I – Rape (Level 3 Felony): 13 years
Count II – Attempted Rape (Level 3 Felony): 13 years (concurrent with Count I)
Count III – Criminal Confinement (Level 4 Felony): 8 years consecutive
Count IV – Burglary (Level 4 Felony): 8 years consecutive
Counts V & VI – Stalking (Level 5 Felonies): 5 years (concurrent to each other, consecutive to other counts)
Count VII – Intimidation (Level 5 Felony): 4 years consecutive
Count VIII – Intimidation (Level 6 Felony): 2 years consecutive
Count X – Domestic Battery (Level 6 Felony): 2 years consecutive
Count XX – Attempted Obstruction of Justice (Level 5 Felony): 5 years consecutive
Counts XV, XVII, XVIII, XIX, XXI – Additional offenses: 1–2 years concurrent with each other but consecutive to the other counts and a few counts were merged.
The total executed sentence imposed by the Court is 49 years.
Prosecutor Carter extends his sincere gratitude to Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Jessica Woodward and Supervising Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Infinity Westberg for their outstanding work and dedication to this case
Prosecutor Carter commended the law enforcement officers and investigators whose work led to the successful prosecution of the case– Detective Olivia Vasquez (IUN), Officers B.Jones, D. Paulson, P. Cook, R. Harris, Detective S. Melendez, CPL. J. VonBank and A. Boleware of the Gary Police Department, Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Edgar Rodriguez, Detective B. Mendenhaul of the Lake County Prosecutor’s High Tech Crime Unit, K. Ivy from SANE and K. Spichert from Via Path for their assistance in this case and thank you to all law enforcement who consistently keep our community safe.
