By Bethany Hooper

Associate Editor

A former gymnastics coach has plead guilty to reckless endangerment for his role in an incident that occurred at the Berlin Activities Depot last summer.

Last September, Lionel Evans, now 58, of Princess Anne, was indicted in Worcester County Circuit Court on charges of second-degree child abuse, second-degree assault and reckless endangerment, all stemming from a child abuse investigation at the Berlin Activities Depot last summer. And on Tuesday, Judge Brian Shockley sentenced Evans to 18 months, all but one day of which was suspended, for a guilty plea he had entered on the charge of reckless endangerment.

“This was one incident where Mr. Lionel went out to discipline a child and it went too far,” Thomas Maronick Jr., Evans’s attorney, told the judge this week.

Last August, Berlin police launched an investigation after the parent of a four-year-old attending the Berlin Activities Depot reported an incident that occurred at the facility’s playground on Aug. 13. The parent told officers Evans, a gymnastics coach at the Berlin Activities Depot, had grabbed his child by the back of his neck, leaving a red mark, scratches and bruising. The parent said his child was not listening and had run away from Evans on the playground.

Police report that footage obtained from the Berlin Activities Depot showed the child running toward the playground equipment and Evans chasing after him. According to charging documents, Evans grabbed the child by the back of the neck, and the child fell to the ground. Police said Evans was also seen “forcefully grabbing the child’s right upper arm and lifting him to his feet.”

As a result of the investigation, Evans was arrested on the three charges, terminated from his position, and suspended from USA Gymnastics, according to his attorney. And last September, the case was forwarded from district court to circuit court as a result of a criminal indictment. Evans continued to deny the allegations last fall, and several parents and children at the Berlin Activities Depot have voiced their support for the former gymnastics coach. The incident also received a swift response from owner Carmella Solito, the facility’s owner, who invited parents to view video footage of the incident.

“Our center remains committed to providing the highest standard of care for your children,” a message sent out last year reads. “We are continuously evaluating and improving our practices to ensure we meet and exceed all safety and care requirements set forth by the state of Maryland for childcare.”

In court this week, Assistant State’s Attorney Pam Correa said the parents of the victim were adamant that Evans was not the only culpable party. She argued the facility had violated the family’s private by allowing “viewing parties” of the incident, and had failed to inform the family of the incident.

“Their child was assaulted and no one even told them,” she said.

Correa also noted that Evans was not typically tasked with supervising a young age group, as he was a gymnastics coach that worked with teenagers. The victim’s mother also detailed what she believed to be the facility’s mishandling of the situation.

“Mr. Lionel was put in the wrong place at the wrong time because of mismanagement of staff,” she said.

Maronick said his client acknowledged his wrongdoing and took accountability for his actions by entering a guilty plea. He asked, however, that the court grant probation before justice. He argued a conviction would hurt his career prospects.

“He’s going to struggle to find a job, struggle to find employment,” he said.

At the conclusion of Tuesday’s plea hearing, Shockley sentenced Evans to 18 months, with all but one day suspended. However, Evans will receive credit for the one day he has already served in jail.

Shockley also sentenced Evans to five years of probation, during which time he will have no contact with the victim or their family and no supervision of children under the age of 12. He must also pay a fine and court costs and take an anger management course.

The judge said Evans has 90 days to request a modification of his sentence, which Maronick said his client intends to do.

“While I’m pleased that my client didn’t return to jail … I’m hopeful we’ll obtain a result that keeps it off his record,” he said in a statement Tuesday.

Evans’s arrest came on the heels of another child abuse investigation, which resulted in two former daycare workers at the Berlin facility being arrested last year.

Steve Rakow, the attorney representing the facility and its owner, Carmella Solito, declined to comment on claims made against the Berlin Activities Depot in court this week.