The mother of a juvenile girl charged with striking a Baltimore Police officer with her car last month now faces charges of destroying evidence in relation to the crime, which resulted in the officer firing one gunshot at the car as the girl and two juvenile boys allegedly fled the scene.
The car, a Kia sedan, was later found to have been stolen the day prior. The veteran officer sustained a leg injury in the assault and was taken to an area hospital for treatment.
The girl’s mother, Yolanda Wilkes, also faces charges of acting as an accessory after the fact of the crime and contributing to the delinquency of a minor, according to a March 12 press release from the State’s Attorney’s Office.
Wilkes is currently being represented by defense attorney Paul Crowley, according to court records, and is set to appear in Baltimore City Circuit Court on April 13.
Her daughter and her two co-defendants now face charges of aggravated assault for the officer-involved shooting, which occurred Feb. 15 on the 800 block of W. Lombard Street. Following the incident, Wilkes took her daughter to Sinai Hospital to treat a graze wound she sustained on her arm. She reportedly told medical staff her daughter sustained the injury after falling from a scooter.
Wilkes is also accused of discarding a bloodied black-and-yellow jacket that her daughter was wearing during the incident, as well as a projectile recovered from the jacket’s pocket. She later told authorities she placed the jacket in a dumpster in the parking lot of a church located near her home. Officers responded to the dumpster on Feb. 18, but failed to recover the jacket. Investigators suspect the jacket was removed.
“Attempting to cover up a crime—especially when it involves the actions of a juvenile—only compounds the harm done and undermines the integrity of our justice system,” said State’s Attorney Ivan J. Bates.
During a press conference, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott stated, “This parent failed in their duty to their child and their community, and they should face the consequences for that.”
