Charges have been filed against a third former Berlin Activities Depot employee following a reported incident earlier this month.
The Berlin Activities Depot is pictured.
File photo
By Bethany Hooper, Associate Editor
Charges have been filed against a former Berlin Activities Depot employee following an incident earlier this month.
Last Tuesday, Lionel Evans, 57, of Princess Anne, was arrested on one felony charge of second-degree child abuse and one misdemeanor charge of second-degree assault following an investigation into an incident that occurred at the Berlin Activities Depot playground Aug. 13. Steve Rakow, attorney for Mark and Carmella Solito, the facility’s owner, said his clients have cooperated through the investigation and have since notified parents of Evans’s arrest.
“Mr. Evans was initially suspended from his position while law enforcement conducted its investigation into the allegations, which is only fair to him,” he said in a statement Wednesday. “Mr. Evans is now no longer employed by Berlin Activities Depot. The Solitos published a notice to parents today – the day after the arrest.”
According to charging documents, an investigation was launched earlier this month after a parent of a four-year-old attending the Berlin Activities Depot had contacted Berlin police about an incident that occurred on the playground Aug. 13. The parent told officers Evans had grabbed his child by the back of his neck, leaving a red mark, scratches and bruising. The parent said the child was not listening and had run away from Evans on the playground.
“Child protective services was contacted and a forensic interview was conducted on August 14, 2024,” a statement of charges reads. “The child disclosed during the interview that he had marks on his neck. The child stated that Lionel (Evans) did it while he was playing on the playground. The child stated that Lionel (Evans) put his hand around the child’s neck and that it caused his neck to hurt. The child stated that afterwards, he was crying and Lionel stated to the child he was going to be in timeout for what he did.”
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.
“Evans is seen forcefully grabbing the child’s right upper arm and lifting him to his feet,” a statement of charges reads. “Evans is seen speaking with the child briefly, but there is no sound. Evans escorts the child to the picnic table area; the child is holding the back of his neck while being escorted.”
During the course of the investigation, officers attempted to speak with Evans, who denied grabbing the child by the back of the neck, according to charging documents. Rakow said this week the Solitos had also reviewed video surveillance footage after learning of the incident and had reported the matter to the Office of Child Care and the Department of Social Services.
“At about that same time, the Solitos were contacted by the Berlin Police Department, which was conducting an investigation into the incident based on a complaint made by the child’s parents,” he said in a statement. “The Solitos complied with the subpoena request for surveillance video.”
Evans was arrested on charges of child abuse and assault Tuesday and has since been released on bond. A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for Sept. 27 in Worcester County District Court.
Evans’s arrest comes on the heels of another child abuse investigation, which resulted in two former daycare workers at the Berlin facility being arrested earlier this year. On Aug. 19, Worcester County Circuit Court Judge Brian Shockley found Heather Ward, 40, of Berlin, guilty of nine counts of second-degree assault on which she had tendered an Alford plea, which acknowledges that the state has enough evidence to prove Ward guilty beyond a reasonable doubt should the case proceed to trial. The remaining 81 counts in her case, including 10 felony charges, were not prosecuted as part of Ward’s plea agreement with the state. In June, a second classroom worker, Catherine Deutsch, 32, of Berlin, was arrested on 11 charges of failure to report child abuse/neglect and four charges of neglect of a minor.
In a message to parents sent Wednesday, Carmella Solito provided additional details on this month’s incident.
“On August 13, during outdoor playtime, an incident occurred on our playground,” the message reads. “A child tripped while playing and then threw rubber pellets from the safety surface at other children. One of our staff members, a gymnastics coach, intervened to redirect the child’s behavior and separate the child from the group for a timeout. As the coach attempted to detain the child, the child ran from the coach. While running away, the child tripped, resulting in a minor scrape. We want to assure you that our coach followed our standard protocols for managing children’s behavior and ensuring playground safety. Thankfully, the child will be OK.”
The message noted that the child’s parents had contacted police following the incident. And after a police review of security footage, the employee was taken into custody Aug. 27.
“Our center remains committed to providing the highest standard of care for your children,” the message 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.”