Teenager indicted on racketeering charges related to violent Peoria street gang
A 17-year-old boy will be tried as an adult on racketeering charges stemming from his alleged involvement in a violent street gang tied to a series of crimes over the past two years.
Skylar Jordan was indicted Tuesday on charges of violating the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act – better known as RICO – due to his alleged connections to the "Snakes," a street gang charged with setting off a series of violent crimes that led to three separate homicides and 12 shootings across the Peoria area over the past three years.
More: Chilling court details show 'terror' linked to violent Peoria street gang
According to the Peoria County State's Attorney's Office, Jordan was one of six juveniles to be charged with RICO in October following an investigation into the gang's alleged actions. Petitions had been filed to transfer their cases to adult court, with a Peoria County Circuit judge approving Jordan's transfer earlier this month.
Prosecutors claim that Jordan and other members of the gang were involved in the deaths of people such as MikeQuese Taylor, a former Peoria High School basketball player killed in April 2024 while washing a car in his driveway in the 100 block of East Forrest Hill Avenue; Antonio Walker, who died one month after an August 2023 shooting in which multiple people fired at people riding bikes, a group that included Walker; and James Irby, killed in the 1800 block of South Stanley Street one month later.
In addition, they are also connected to a post-prom shooting from May 2024 in Chillicothe, where 18-year-old Devon Mackey was hospitalized after being hit multiple times. Taylor and Mackey were supposedly members of a rival gang known as the "Jump-Out Boys", who were feuding with the "Snakes" during the crime spree.
The Peoria Police Department and Peoria County Sheriff's Office were able to recover 18 guns over the course of their investigation, with four of those guns equipped with a switch that can convert them into a semi-automatic weapon.
Jordan was also indicted on charges of unlawful use of a weapon Tuesday in relation to the gang activity. Arraignment is set for May 29 at 9:30 a.m., with Circuit Judge Katherine Gorman presiding over the proceedings.
More: 'Special kid': Slain former Peoria High basketball player remembered as hard working, supportive
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Teenager to be tried as an adult on racketeering charges tied to gang
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