Woman Pays $15,000 Bail for Complete Stranger After Witnessing 'Worst' Arrest She Has Ever Seen
A woman moved by the arrest of a young man she described as "one of the worst things I've ever seen" plunked down $15,000 last Thursday to secure a cash bail for him even though he was a complete stranger to her.
According to FOX45, the woman, Jennifer Bartley, paid the $15,000 for the release of Calvin Wilkes, 25, who was arrested with two others at the Inner Harbor in Baltimore, Maryland, in April.
Police say Wilkes was part of a group refusing to leave the Light Street pavilion on April 19 after causing a disturbance. He was arrested after security guards called police.
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The arrest was witnessed by several onlookers, including Bartley, who said she was stunned by the tactics employed by the police officers that caused one of the suspects to bleed from the mouth. An internal affair investigation is now reportedly underway.
Wilkes who is homeless and the other two suspects were charged with trespassing and resisting arrest. The judge also imposed a "cash only" bail condition on Wilkes which barred him from using a bond or personal property to secure his bail.
His family and friends objected to the condition citing that he was a tireless advocate for homeless youth and it would only serve to set him back in life.
"Here's a kid who's trying and succeeding, and now we're worried he'll lose his job," said Nyasha Dixon, a colleague who works with Wilkes advocating for homeless teens.
Wilkes works at McDonald's and attends classes at the Community College of Baltimore City. Two Wednesdays ago Wilkes was reportedly scheduled to lead a discussion at the University of Maryland's Carey School of Law about the challenges faced by at risk youth in violent and poor neighborhoods.
Bartley said her decision to help Wilkes was fueled by her outrage.
"I just feel like it's one more way the police are crossing their boundaries," said Bartley. "If they think people can't come up with $15,000 cash bail to release him from jail they are wrong. People like me are going to be outraged."
Wilkes was tased during the scuffle and taken to a nearby hospital where he was treated for minor injuries.
