East Chicago Man Facing Two Drug-Dealing Cases in Lake County
An East Chicago man is facing two separate sets of drug-dealing charges after police say they recovered cocaine, ecstasy, marijuana, and cash in unrelated incidents — one of which occurred while he was already out on bond for the first.
On October 4, 2024, an East Chicago Police officer stopped a red Ford Fusion after it ran a stop sign near 140th Street and Catalpa Street. The driver, identified as Damian Antonio Givens, exited the vehicle and attempted to walk away but was stopped.
Givens appeared nervous and consented to a pat-down search. Officers allegedly discovered sixteen individually wrapped baggies of a white rock-like substance in his pants pocket and a seventeenth baggie visible in a backpack on the front seat.
A search of the backpack reportedly revealed:
• 8.7 grams of cocaine
• 14.1 grams (36 pills) of MDMA
• 7.8 grams of marijuana
• Nineteen empty Ziploc baggies
• $769 in cash
Givens was formally charged on October 8, 2024.
Charges Filed October 8, 2024:
• Dealing in Cocaine (Level 3 Felony)
• Dealing in a Schedule I Controlled Substance (Level 3 Felony)
• Possession of Marijuana (Class B Misdemeanor)
At the time of that arrest, Givens was already out on bond from a previous drug and firearm case filed that summer.
On June 13, 2024, East Chicago Police officers encountered Givens during a foot patrol at Callahan Park. Officers reported smelling raw marijuana and observed a handgun on his waistband. Givens was detained and searched.
Police allegedly recovered:
• A .40 caliber Smith & Wesson handgun with a chambered round
• 6.2 grams of crack cocaine in 11 baggies
• 91 grams of marijuana in 22 prepackaged bags
• 45 ecstasy pills weighing 20.3 grams
• $699 in cash
• A plastic container and packaging materials
Givens was charged on June 15, 2024, and later posted bond.
Charges Filed June 15, 2024:
• Dealing in a Narcotic Drug (Level 2 Felony)
• Dealing in a Schedule I Controlled Substance (Level 2 Felony)
• Unlawful Carrying of a Handgun with Prior Felony (Level 5 Felony)
• Dealing in Marijuana (Level 6 Felony)
Following the second arrest, prosecutors filed a motion to revoke Givens’ bond, alleging that he committed new felony offenses while out on bond in the earlier case.
He was lodged in the Lake County Jail on July 29, 2025, where he remains pending proceedings in both cases.
