Trending
WARREN -- A jury trial is underway in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court for a former dance instructor accused of sexually assaulting a student under 13 years old.
Katilyn Wilkes, 20, who lists addresses in Vienna and Warren, was indicted by a grand jury on 14 counts, 12 of which are rape and the other two, gross sexual imposition. If convicted, Wilkes could face a life prison sentence.
Trial will continue today inside Judge Cynthia W. Rice's courtroom. Trumbull County Assistant Prosecutor Diane Barber said the court will hear from the girl, a dance studio member who provided text messages, and representatives from children services.
Barber, in her opening statement Monday, said Wilkes sexually abused a girl while an instructor for a dance studio. This occurred, Barber said, from February 2022 until an incident between the two at a hotel in Altoona, Pa., in August 2022 that eventually led to police and Trumbull County Children Services getting involved.
Wilkes is accused of showing up to the hotel where the girl was staying with other team members for a dance competition. The child reportedly was upset and refusing to go with Wilkes, but Wilkes persisted -- leading to Wilkes having to be physically removed from the room, Barber stated.
"This case is about a violation of trust, that was violated by the defendant," Barber said.
The sexual abuse Barber described escalated beginning with Wilkes kissing the girl in October 2021 and eventually progressed to other sexual acts. Barber said the girl made attempts to stop Wilkes but would be talked into allowing acts to continue. The girl was described by Barber as feeling "forced" and "manipulated."
The alleged abuse, Barber said, took place during five incidents in four separate locations -- some in different townships across Trumbull County.
Wilkes' defense attorney, Mary Ellen Ditchey, in her opening statement, said her client has been "wrongfully accused of extremely serious offenses."
Ditchey said Wilkes and the girl developed a close relationship at the time, Wilkes being 18 and the girl, 12. They were spending large amounts of time together practicing in the studios.
Rumors, Ditchey said, are the basis of the case against her client.
A detective for Bazetta Township, Patrick Swiger, in April 2022 spoke with the girl's father at their home, who told the detective he had concerns about the relationship. He then interviewed the dance studio owner. He did not interview anyone else from the studio.
The investigation was provided with 60 printed pages worth of messages between Wilkes and another juvenile dance team member.
Ditchey disputed validity of the messages -- saying that they are not messages subpoenaed by the county sheriff's office.
Children services also had interviewed the girl and dance studio owner, who told them Wilkes was fired April 27 after being shown a portion of the text messages detailing the alleged inappropriate relationship, according to testimony.