FORMER JOBS COACH FOR DEVELOPMENTALLY DISABLED SENTENCED FOR NEGLECT OF A VULNERABLE ADULT

Attorney General J. Joseph Curran, Jr. announced today that Glenn Dennis, a former jobs coach at The Chimes Supported Employment Program in Baltimore County, pleaded guilty to one count of neglect of a vulnerable adult for leaving six developmentally disabled adults unattended while he shopped at a Wal-Mart.

Judge Vicki Ballou-Watts of the Circuit Court for Baltimore County sentenced Dennis to two years’ supervised probation and ordered the Defendant to refrain from providing care to vulnerable individuals for two years.

Dennis, 51, of the 5200 block of Cordelia Avenue in Baltimore City, was a paid caregiver for six developmentally disabled men and women who participated in a job program in which they are supervised while performing tasks in the community. On December 16, 2002 and while he was employed by The Chimes, Inc., Dennis had in his care the six adults. After the adults completed their first job of the day in Catonsville, Dennis did not drive them to their next job site but instead drove to a Wal-Mart at 6205 Baltimore National Pike in Baltimore County. He parked the van and left the adults in it while he went into the store to purchase Christmas lights for himself. The temperature was about 45 degrees, and due to pre-holiday crowds Dennis had parked in the second of two parking lots, which was the furthest from the store and the closest to Route 40.

Although Dennis could have taken the six adults with him, he chose not to do so because, he said, they would have slowed him down. Dennis was in the store between 20 and 25 minutes. While he was still in the store, two of the vulnerable adults left the van, crossed both parking lots and entered the store to use the restroom. The van and its occupants could not be seen from inside the Wal-Mart.

Dennis was aware that three of the vulnerable adults in his care required constant 24-hour line of sight supervision by a caretaker. Dennis was also aware that one of the men, who has diabetes, has a history of drug abuse and is an alcoholic, was known to run away. Dennis knew that this particular man could never be left unsupervised, because he might run away, enter liquor stores and attempt to steal liquor.

This case was prosecuted by Attorney General Curran’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, which has jurisdiction to investigate and prosecute abuse or neglect of vulnerable adults in facilities that receive Medicaid funds.

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