It has been an ongoing battle between Hesperia Parks and Recreation board members and employees. The district filed a temporary Workplace Violence Restraining Order against board member Kelly Gregg this month in protection of District General Manager Robert Hernandez.
This is not the first time Gregg has received a restraining order from or in protection of a parks district employee.
In 2023, Recreation Activities Coordinator Anthony Rodriguez obtained a temporary restraining order and filed a civil lawsuit against Gregg, alleging that a knife was thrown at him twice during the district’s Fall Festival/Car Show/Trunk or Treat event on Oct. 28.
According to the complaint document, the second time Gregg threw the knife, he did so while stating that Rodriguez needed to “change his attitude,” and the knife struck Rodriguez’s left foot.
Within days, Rodriguez was granted a temporary restraining order by the San Bernardino Superior Court against Gregg, who was board president at the time. The document also states that the district retaliated against Rodriguez by placing him on administrative leave and then terminating him on March 26, 2024.
The case is ongoing, and a jury trial is scheduled for Jan. 19, 2027.
The knife incident is also referenced in the civil employment lawsuits of discrimination and retaliation filed by former Hesperia Parks and Recreation employees Lindsay Woods and Mike Varner in 2021 and 2025.
Gregg’s attorney, Russ Kiner, told the Daily Press that Gregg denies the allegations of both restraining orders.
“We’ve been through this before, and we know that the truth will come out,” he said.
Kiner said he is disappointed that the Parks and Recreation Department went public with the information before anything was settled in court.
“They haven’t even had their facts proven,” Kiner said. “A temporary restraining order does not decide the facts, yet Gregg is being treated as if the allegations are true.”
Kiner says no evidence is presented for a temporary restraining order.
“All the judge does is sit in an office and read the filed complaint. If you use the right buzzwords, you’ll get the restraining order.”
Kiner represented Gregg in 2023 during the first restraining order regarding the knife incident. He says the court found that the incident did not occur, and Hernandez’s request for a permanent restraining order against Gregg was denied after a trial.
McKenna Mobley is a reporter for the Daily Press. She can be reached at mmobley@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: This is not Kelly Gregg’s first restraining order filed by a co-worker
Reporting by McKenna Mobley, Victorville Daily Press / Victorville Daily Press
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