Little
An Indianapolis man who brandished a gun in front of small children was found guilty of domestic battery.
Deandre Chavez Little, 33, was found guilty of two felony charges stemming from an October 2022 domestic violence incident by a Johnson County jury Tuesday. The jury found Little guilty of unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon, a Level 4 felony and domestic battery, a Level 6 felony.
Greenwood police received a report that Little battered his former partner at her residence in Greenwood while small children were present. Little, a previously convicted serious violent felon, also brandished a handgun during the incident, according to a Johnson County Prosecutor’s Office news release.
It was a difficult trial because the victim was absent and the defendant failed to appear, however, Deputy Prosecutors Bryan Smith and Carrie Miles proceeded with the case anyway.
“We won’t back down from a challenge,” Smith said in a statement. “We don’t have that luxury. We have to protect our citizens with whatever tools are available and we will try the tough cases.”
County prosecutors were able to bring this case across the finish line despite the circumstances.
“I’m very proud of Brian and Carrie for trying this case under very difficult circumstances,” Johnson County Prosecutor Lance Hamner said in a statement on the trial. “Despite the difficulties, the jury was back in less than two hours.”
Little had been charged with domestic battery twice before in Marion County, but the charges were ultimately dismissed, online court records show.
The prosecutor’s office in Johnson County is showing they have the tenacity to get justice for victims, Hamner said.
“The message we are sending to these out-of-county criminals is that if you come here to do your crimes, you’re going to do a lot more time,” Hamner said in the statement. “This convicted serious violent felon will be facing up to 14.5 years in prison at sentencing. I hope he tells his friends.”
There are two other cases against Little that are pending in Johnson County courts: one is a January case with charges of resisting law enforcement, driving with a suspended license and criminal recklessness, while another filed in July involves escape of GPS monitoring and criminal mischief.
