A Baltimore man was convicted in Baltimore County Circuit Court of assaulting a special needs adult at Honeygo Run Regional Park in Perry Hall, Maryland Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler announced Thursday.

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Angel Luyanda, 48, a former employee of Chimes, Inc., was convicted of second-degree assault and received a three-year suspended sentence. He faces three years of supervised probation, has been ordered to complete 100 hours of community service and is prohibited from working with vulnerable adults, the release stated.

Luyanda, who worked for Chimes, a private company in Middle River that offers disability services, was assisting a 26-year-old "vulnerable adult" at the park on Aug. 20, 2010, when a fellow employee witnessed Luyanda assault his client, according to the attorney general's office.

"[Luyanda] admitted in court that he had punched the victim in the stomach when the young man had become agitated due to the heat. The victim is unable to verbally communicate to others and was visibly upset immediately before being punched," the release stated.

A vulnerable adult is "any person age 18 or over who lacks the physical or mental capacity to provide for [his or her] daily needs," according to the Baltimore County government website.

“Violence against a vulnerable special needs child or adult who’s been placed in the care of others will not be tolerated in Maryland,” Gansler stated in the release. “It’s reassuring to know that another caregiver did the right thing and stepped forward to report this appalling assault.”

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