Caregiver Indicted in Abuse of Disabled Man

A Baltimore group home worker who was identified in a video in which a mentally disabled man is seen being hit and spit upon has been indicted on multiple counts of abuse, neglect and assault by a Howard County grand jury.

Donna Everett, 5600 block of Force Road, Baltimore, was arrested in early February after police were made aware of the YouTube video that appears to show her hitting and spitting in the face of a man who was arguing with another patient.

The video, in which the camera person can be heard laughing in the background, has since been taken down from YouTube.

Everett, 57, was working as a house manager in the group home located in the 6500 block of Quilting Way, Columbia. The home is operated by Emerge Inc., according to police. Columbia-based Emerge provides care for about 450 people with developmental, physical and mental health disabilities.

After it surfaced, police said Emerge Inc. sent them the video and identified Everett.

"This is the most repulsive thing I've experienced in my life," said David Wamsley, executive director of Emerge, after Everett was arrested. "We train our employees to be hands off, restraint free so there's never a possibility where someone should be touched. This is a complete violation of our principles."

Wamsley said the victim did not suffer significant injuries from the alleged abuse.

After Everett's arrest, the Arc of Maryland, which advocates for people with disabilities, released a statement saying, "We are profoundly disturbed by the event and the video. This is obviously heinous and unacceptable behavior."

Everett was released after posting $100,000 bail, according to court records.

Related Article:

Police: Caregiver Arrested after Video Surfaces of Her Allegedly Beating Disabled Man in Columbia

Editor's Note: Correction - an earlier version of this article stated the Arc of Howard County sent out a statement regarding the incident. In fact, it was the Arc of Maryland. It has been fixed, we regret the error.