Mom of rapper charged in YSL case arrested trying to sneak rolling papers into courtroom

FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — The mother of a rapper charged in the sweeping YSL gang indictment was arrested Tuesday after deputies said she attempted to sneak rolling papers and tobacco products into the Fulton County courtroom where her son is currently standing trial, authorities confirmed.

Jail records show Latasha Kendrick, 51, was booked into the Fulton County Jail on one count of criminal attempt to commit a misdemeanor.

Latasha Kendrick is the mother of Deamonte Kendrick, a rapper who performs under the name Yak Gotti.

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Deamonte Kendrick is one of 14 defendants, including hip-hop superstar Young Thug, standing trial in Fulton County. Kendrick is charged with multiple crimes, including the 2015 murder of Donavan “Nut” Thomas Jr.

Court records obtained by Channel 2′s Michael Seiden show the trouble began Tuesday after Latasha Kendrick stopped by the Fulton County Courthouse, where she dropped off a bag of clothing for her son, who was in court for jury selection.

Before giving the bag to his client, Kendrick’s attorney, Douglas Weinstein, told a deputy that he had received a text from Nyesha Cox, the mother of Kendrick’s child.

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“Weinstein told the deputy he received a text from ‘D. Kendrick’s baby mother, ‘NAE,’ stating that she had a placed a sealed envelope inside of the bag,” according to the affidavit.

When deputies searched the bag, they found the envelope containing tobacco wrapping papers and tobacco products, investigators confirmed.

After discovering the contraband, deputies moved to the eighth floor of the courthouse, where they confronted Latasha Kendrick. When questioned by investigators, she denied having any knowledge of the envelope, claiming that Cox had given her the bag to give to the attorney.

Deputies arrested Kendrick. Authorities have also issued an arrest warrant for Cox, but she has not yet been arrested.

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The Fulton County District Attorney’s Office said it worked for more than a year in collaboration with other agencies to put the indictment together. Prosecutors say Young Thug is a leader of the Young Slime Life gang, which formed in Atlanta in 2012.

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