Baltimore County Caregiver Pleads Guilty to Abuse of a Vulnerable Adult

BALTIMORE, MD ( March 19, 2010) - Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler announced today that former caregiver Dominique Ennals, 24, of the 1400 block of Carey Street in Baltimore, pleaded guilty in the Circuit Court for Baltimore County to misdemeanor abuse of a vulnerable adult for a series of assaults that occurred between May 2007 and August 2007. Judge Dana M. Levitz sentenced Ennals to three years incarceration, suspended, and three years unsupervised probation. Ennals is also prohibited from employment in any position where he would be in contact with a developmentally disabled individual.

The investigation revealed that Ennals, 24, was a behavior technician at the Vocational Services Department operated by The Chimes and was assigned as a one-on-one caregiver for a developmentally disabled man. Ennals punched the victim in the ribs, smacked him on his head, and pulled a chair out from underneath the victim. Once The Chimes learned of the allegations, they contacted the police.

This case, originally referred by the Baltimore County Police Department, was investigated by the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit of the Office of the Attorney General. The Medicaid Fraud Control Unit has authority to investigate and prosecute abuse and neglect of vulnerable adults in facilities that receive Medicaid funds, in group homes that provide services to the developmentally disabled, and in Assisted Living Facilities across the State of Maryland. In making today’s announcement, Attorney General Gansler thanked Assistant Attorney General Catherine S. Pascale, Investigator Dean Brewer and the Maryland State Police for their work on the case.