BERLIN, MD - A gymnastics coach at Berlin Activities Depot has been charged with child abuse and assault following an alleged incident earlier this month.
According to charging documents obtained by WBOC, a father whose 4-year-old son attends the childcare center contacted Berlin Police to report an assault on August 13th. The father told police the alleged assault occurred at about 1:30 p.m. that day at the Berlin Activities Depot, charging records read.
The father told police his son was on the playground and was not listening to the gymnastics coach, Lionel Evans Jr., and was running away from the coach. The father said Evans then grabbed the child by the back of his neck, according to charging documents. After picking the child up from the campus, the father said he noticed a red mark on the child’s neck, as well as abrasions, scratches, and bruises near the boy’s collar bone.
The father then returned to Berlin Activities Depot to speak with the owner, who reviewed the surveillance footage from earlier in the day with him, court documents read.
Police say they then obtained the video footage from the childcare center for review. According to charging documents, footage shows the child running towards playground equipment with Evans chasing behind. Evans catches up to the child and grabs the minor by the back of the neck, according to the police narrative, and the child then falls to the ground. Investigators say the footage then shows Evans forcefully grabbing and lifting the child by the arm.
Court documents show police arrested Evans on Tuesday, August 27th. Evans was charged with 2nd-degree child abuse and 2nd degree assault. He was released the same day on a $10,000 unsecured personal bond.
Evans is listed on Berlin Activities Depot’s website as a girls coach in twisters gymnastics. WBOC reached out to Berlin Activities Depot but did not receive an immediate response. This is the second person accused of child abuse at the daycare center in less than a year. The first, former employee Heather Ward, took an Alford plea earlier this month to 9 counts of second-degree assault.
