On Monday, Lionel Evans, 57, of Princess Anne, was indicted in Worcester County Circuit Court on charges of second-degree child abuse, second-degree assault and reckless endangerment. While Evans was set to appear in district court for a preliminary hearing Tuesday, his attorney, Thomas Maronick Jr., said the case will now be forwarded to the higher court. An initial appearance has been scheduled for Oct. 9.
“What happened today with Mr. Evans is the case was indicted to circuit court,” he said. “What that means is they have presented his case to a grand jury, presenting just the state’s information. What’s important with that is that the defense has not had an evidentiary hearing. We’ve not had a chance to present evidence, we’ve not had a chance to challenge any of the evidence … All they’ve done is accuse him of a crime, and it’s been forwarded to the high court.”
Last month, 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.
“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.”