Charges not filed against man accused of assaulting Indio woman due to ‘insufficient evidence’
Editor's Note: We have removed the name and photo of the suspect after charges were not filed due to insufficient evidence, Indio police and the District Attorney's office said.
Police said they are aware that the suspect was not charged in this crime and they will continue to work the case, and if they get additional information, the detectives could refile the case with the DA's Office.
IPD said they are working with the neighborhood about their concerns.
The suspect was released from custody on Monday, according to jail records.
UPDATE 4/15/2025:
Indio police said a woman who told them she was responsible for assaulting Shari Griffith is now facing a new charge — attempted murder in an unrelated case in Desert Hot Springs.
Griffith is standing by her original statement. She said it was her male neighbor who assaulted her.
Indio police said they're still working to positively identify if the woman was a suspect in Griffith's attack.
News Channel 3 asked the department how they're keeping neighbors safe.
"We are doing extra patrols in the area," Sgt. Abraham Plata, Indio police, said. "I'm also trying to work with residents in that area to have a community meeting so we can talk about safety and hear their concerns."
No date has been set yet.
UPDATE 4/11/2025:
The suspect arrested and accused of assaulting an Indio woman on Thursday is due in court on Monday, April 14.
He was arrested nearly a week after the 70-year-old victim was attacked.
The victim, Shari Griffith, says the suspect is her neighbor, who left her with a black eye and a swollen wrist.
Griffith adds that while she's thankful police made an arrest, there are still two other neighbors who were involved in the incident.
ORIGINAL REPORT 4/10/2025:
INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) -- Some people in an Indio neighborhood say they're living in fear after their 70-year-old neighbor, Shari Griffith was assaulted, and it took nearly a week for authorities to make an arrest.
Residents living on the 81200 block of Helen Ave. reached out to News Channel 3 about the incident after they say Griffith was assaulted by three neighbors rummaging through her car.
"He turned around and he hit me with the bony part of his palm upside the head. And, I was stunned, absolute shock. It surprised me and I just started crying," Griffith said.
Now, she's left with a black eye, swollen wrist, and fear she can't shake after she says those neighbors have been intimidating the community.
"The young lady who's the driver of the car drives erratically through the neighborhood. She's driving so erratically that she has come close to hitting numerous of the neighbors," Griffith said.
Looking for answers, News Channel 3 reached out to Indio Police and the result of that pressure?
A knock on Griffith's door from several detectives during our interview.
Thirty minutes after police received another testimony from Griffith, an arrest was made.
"On Thursday, at approximately 12:35 PM, a male suspect was arrested. The detectives are currently processing him and will be booked into John Benoit Detention Center for elder abuse and vehicle burglary," Sgt. Abe Plata said.
In that same statement to News Channel 3, police said they were unable to make an arrest the day of the assault because Griffith was unable to positively identify a suspect.
But Griffith says that's not true and rather, the officer who handled her case didn't take her seriously.
"It was assigned to, a man who I have no faith in, no trust in, and who misrepresented many, many issues. That information that he relayed to me on the phone, about information that I had provided the police department was wrong," Griffith said.
While she's grateful one of the individuals apart of her assault was arrested, her community says work still needs to be done to arrest all three.
"My heart would break if this isn't handled and taken seriously, and one or all three of these younger people commits another crime against a person in this neighborhood," Griffith said.
