Mother charged with trying to conceal evidence of alleged assault by teen daughter

The mother of a teen is facing charges after the Baltimore State's Attorney said she attempted to conceal evidence of an assault allegedly carried out by her daughter and two other teens. 

Yolanda Wilkes is charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor and being an accessory to a crime after the fact. She could face up to 11 years in prison if found guilty, court records show. 

The charges come after three teens were arrested in early February for allegedly hitting a Baltimore Police officer with a stolen car and fleeing the scene of an attempted break-in. 

"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," Bates said. "When the people entrusted with guiding the next generation allegedly destroy evidence and attempt to evade accountability, it hinders law enforcement's ability to deliver justice and ensure public safety."

Teens arrested and charged 

Three 14-year-olds were arrested after the incident on Feb. 15 in the 800 block of W. Lombard Street.

Officers arrived at the scene for an attempted break-in and arrived to find a car with multiple people inside. 

During the incident, the driver of the vehicle — identified as Wilkes' 14-year-old daughter — hit an officer with the car, causing him to fall down and prompting him to fire gunshots at the vehicle, police said. 

The teens fled the scene, hitting another vehicle and the officer's patrol car on the way, officials said. 

After the suspects fled, police provided aid to a man who had approached from across the street and collapsed on the road. He told officers that he had been assaulted by a group of suspects, according to police. 

Two boys were arrested after being identified through their ankle monitors, police said. The girl was arrested shortly after. 

During her arrest, police found that the girl had suffered an injury to her wrist and was treated at a hospital. They later learned that Wilkes told medical personnel that her daughter had fallen off a scooter. 

Mother charged with concealing evidence 

Wilkes was interviewed by police before her daughter's arrest. She told officers that she was woken up around midnight on Feb. 15 by her daughter's friend, who brought her home. 

Her daughter was bleeding from her hand, and she told Wilkes that she messed up and thought she "caught a body," court records show. 

The daughter told Wilkes that she was making a U-turn and hit parked cars. She also said that a police officer shot at her, according to the state's attorney's office. 

Wilkes mentioned during the police interview that her daughter was wearing a yellow and black jacket during the incident and said she threw it away because it had a blood stain on it. 

She also told police that she had recovered a projectile from the jacket as she was doing laundry. She gave the item to her daughter's father, who was supposed to turn it over to the police, according to court documents. 

The girl's father told police that he did not know what they were referring to and was uncooperative, Bates said. The address provided for him appeared to be a vacant home. 

Wilkes provided police with a photo of her daughter's injuries, along with the jacket and projectile.

"This case is deeply troubling," said Police Commissioner Richard Worley. "Not only was a Baltimore police officer struck by a vehicle, but an adult is alleged to have attempted to conceal evidence and mislead investigators. Crimes involving juveniles are up this year, and without accountability, we are putting lives at risk and destabilizing communities."

Wilkes further told police that she had put the bloodstained jacket in a dumpster located in the parking lot of a church near her home, according to Bated. On Feb. 18, police attempted to recover the item, but instead found mail with Wilkes' name and a broken tablet near the dumpster, indicating that someone had removed the jacket.

"Attempting to cover up a violent crime like this hurts everyone: the young people who are shielded from accountability; the officers and prosecutors hindered from doing their jobs; and most importantly, the victims, who deserve justice," said Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott. "This parent failed in their duty to their child and their community, and they should face the consequences for that."