Image sources: Mugshot of Michael Cabanalan, 35, the accused, courtesy of Baltimore County Police Department. Sheppard Pratt – Towson Campus, © Google, via Google Maps.
A former mental health worker at Sheppard Pratt, a psychiatric hospital, was arrested on October 21, 2025, in connection with the alleged sexual assaults of a 17-year-old disabled patient.
On Tuesday, October 28, the Baltimore County Police Department announced the arrest of Michael Angelo Eder Cabanalan. He has been charged with twelve felony and misdemeanor counts, including second-degree rape of a helpless or impaired individual. According to police, he is being held at the Baltimore County Detention Center and has not been granted bond.
Authorities believe there could be more victims.
They urge anyone who believes they may be a victim or has any information about the case to call Baltimore County Police at 410-887-7720 or the Department of Social Services at 410-887-8463.
Victim Hospitalized at Sheppard Pratt
“According to charging documents, the victim was hospitalized from September 3-7,” 2025, at Sheppard Pratt. (WMAR 2 News) Cabanalan first met her on September 4 during that stay.
The alleged abuse occurred both while she was hospitalized and after her discharge, continuing through September 9, 2025, according to court records.
“Detectives said Cabanalan asked the victim for her Instagram information and phone number.” (CBS News)
Cabanalan also asked the victim why she had been admitted, and she told him she had harmed herself due to an issue involving a boy. Cabanalan replied “that she did not need a boy, but that she needed a man,” according to charging documents.
Hospital policy requires staff to check in on patients regularly as part of their therapeutic care. However, charging documents state that “Cabanalan’s visits to the victim’s room were unusually frequent and long.” (The Baltimore Banner)
Charging documents state that while the victim was hospitalized, Cabanalan was captured on surveillance video entering her room multiple times. The door was often closed during these encounters, and no cameras were installed in her room.
According to CBS News, “Hospital staff reported he entered her room approximately eight times in one evening.”
Investigators allege that the sexual abuse began during these visits, after Cabanalan requested a kiss from the victim. Cabanalan later told the patient he needed to stop going into her room. “because the nurses told him to stop because [she] was going to accuse him of something.” (WMAR 2 News)
Because she is both a minor and a person with intellectual disabilities, the victim was legally incapable of consenting to sexual contact.
According to WMAR 2 News, “The teen’s parent told police she is ‘fully disabled,’ with a diagnosis declaring her ‘cognitively impaired due to intellectual disabilities.’”
Alleged Abuse Continued After the Victim’s Discharge
After her discharge from Sheppard Pratt, investigators said Cabanalan picked up the victim from near her home and drove her to his apartment in Towson. There, he allegedly assaulted her twice before he brought her back home.
The victim’s mother later realized she had left the house after a family phone-tracking app showed her location at Cabanalan’s address. When they returned, her mother was waiting.
“After the meeting, Cabanalan reportedly told the victim to delete his phone number and all of their text messages.” (WMAR 2 News)
Investigators said Cabanalan later contacted the victim on TikTok, asking her whether she had “told on him” and to delete their messages.
After speaking with her mother, the teen revealed what had happened.
According to CBS News, “The mother then contacted CPS, which led to Sheppard Pratt and police being notified on Sept. 11.”
Detectives obtained an arrest warrant on October 15, and Cabanalan was arrested October 21, 2025.
The Criminal Charges Against Cabanalan
Court filings list twelve counts against the alleged perpetrator:
- Sexual Abuse of a Minor
- Second-Degree Rape: Without Consent (x2)
- Second-Degree Rape: Helpless or Impaired Individual (x2)
- Third-Degree Sexual Offense: Helpless or Impaired Individual (x2)
- Fourth-Degree Sexual Offense: Sexual Contact (x2)
- Fourth-Degree Sexual Offense: Person in Position of Authority
- Second-Degree Assault (x2)
Employee Standards and Institutional Response
The Baltimore Banner reports that “Employees at Sheppard Pratt, according to the hospital’s administrative manual, are prohibited from establishing or seeking personal relationships with current or former patients. They are also not allowed to engage or contact current or former patients on any social media.”
Cabanalan was suspended and later terminated from his job. After his termination, Cabanalan allegedly emailed his supervisor stating that his father was seriously ill and that he would be leaving for the Philippines to take care of him.
A Betrayal of Vulnerable Patients
The victim, a disabled teenager receiving psychiatric care, should have been able to rely on the hospital’s staff for safety, support, and compassion.
Instead, the person entrusted to help her allegedly exploited her vulnerability.
This case exposes a painful contradiction between Sheppard Pratt’s claims about its work and the actions allegedly taken by one of its employees.
The mental health system presents itself as “the only place with a true tradition of changing lives for the better.”
Sheppard Pratt’s website states, “We are nurturers, fostering hope and healing. We are life changers” who provide “the highest quality of care and attention with dignity and the utmost respect.”
Those statements seem hollow now, as the institution appears to have fallen short of protecting the very people it vowed to care for.
Civil Accountability and Survivors’ Rights
While the criminal case against Cabanalan will determine his personal culpability, civil legal action allows survivors and their families to seek accountability from the institutions that failed to protect them.
Hospitals and psychiatric facilities have a legal duty to safeguard patients through proper hiring, training, and supervision of staff. When warning signs are ignored, these institutions can be held civilly liable for negligence.
Civil lawsuits not only provide survivors with compensation for therapy and other recovery needs—they also drive institutional change, helping to prevent future harm to vulnerable patients.
Can I File A Lawsuit Against Sheppard Pratt?
If a hospital or other healthcare facility fails to protect a patient from sexual abuse, the institution itself may be held liable through a civil lawsuit.
Survivors and their families may have the right to pursue compensation and accountability from the facility responsible for their safety.
Survivors of sexual abuse often face profound trauma and the fear of not being believed—a fear that too often keeps them silent.
Speaking with a trauma-informed attorney can help you understand your rights in a safe, confidential environment.
Andreozzi + Foote is a national law firm dedicated exclusively to representing survivors of sexual abuse. Our attorneys have extensive experience pursuing cases against hospitals and other organizations that failed to protect those in their care.
If you or someone you love was harmed at Sheppard Pratt or another treatment center, you are not alone.
Our compassionate legal team is here to listen, answer your questions, and explain your options.
All consultations are free and completely confidential.
Contact us today.
