Former Indio Gang Member Excused From Gang Injunction

A former Indio gang member was exempted today from the mandates of a recently imposed injunction restricting the activities of gang members.

The preliminary injunction was approved in January and applies to 126 members of the South Side Indio, Jackson Terrace and Campo gangs.

But Richard McKinney, who was named in the injunction, petitioned the court to be removed from the injunction’s restrictions, and a judge agreed. If he resumes gang activity, however, he will be subject to the court order, according to prosecutors.

“That is how it should be,” Deputy District Attorney Kristi Daw told City News Service. “If you’re not a gang member, then it should not apply.”

A similar motion was denied for Ray Dale, who is in custody for crimes committed 10 years ago. Dale was deemed a historical member of the South Side Indio gang, which places him in the jurisdiction of the injunction.

Daw said she plans to file a motion in a few weeks calling for the injunction to become permanent.

The people named in the injunction are banned from associating with other gang members and must adhere to a 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew. They are also banned from selling or possessing drugs or drug paraphernalia; trespassing; reckless or unlawful driving; giving false information to law enforcement officers; intimidating or harassing anyone who lives, works or passes through the so-called safety zone; possessing a gun or illegal weapon; possessing graffiti or vandalism tools; loitering; flashing gang signs; or wearing gang apparel.

The “safety zone” covers 13.8 miles. Authorities said the area — roughly from Burr Street southeast to Highway 111 and Avenue 48, with Interstate 10 as the northern boundary and Avenue 48 as the southern extreme — is home to 17 schools and seven parks.

Those rules will not apply to McKinney, who requested the dismissal Jan. 14.

“Our goal is to address the people who are causing a problem in Indio,” Daw said. “He has been doing good and is filling the terms of his parole and as part of his parole is not associating with gang members.

“As long as he continues on the right path he will be fine.”

Daw said one of the people named in the injunction was shot to death last year.

The injunction was imposed following a Dec. 7 sweep dubbed “Operation Eastern Encore,” which involved an estimated 1,000 local, state and federal law enforcement officers and targeted several Indio gangs in what officials called the county’s biggest-ever roundup.

Law enforcement officials estimate there are about 695 gang members in Indio.