YOUNGSTOWN — George D. Gunther, 20, of Jackson Street SW in Warren, was sentenced to seven months in prison Monday after pleading guilty earlier to one felony count of patient abuse for the way he treated a 17-year-old autistic boy in his care.

A co-worker, Sultahn E. Honzu, 19, of Southern Boulevard in Warren, was sentenced to nine months in prison in April after he pleaded guilty to the same offense. The cases were in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court.

Both men were indicted for their actions toward a nonverbal youth while they worked for Penny’s Behavioral Healthcare of Trail’s Edge Drive in Hubbard between July 13 and July 26, 2022. They worked in the youth’s home in Austintown.

Penny’s Behavioral Healthcare also was indicted on one count of patient abuse, but prosecutors dismissed the charge against Penny’s on Sept. 11 because the company is “dissolved and is not still operating,” Pat Kiraly, county assistant prosecutor, said Monday.

During Gunther’s hearing, Kiraly said prosecutors were asking for Gunther to get nine months in prison. The offenses were captured on video.

Kiraly said the evidence was that “you see the defendant taunting (the victim). You see him acting like he was going to strike him, basically putting this individual in a state of constant fear where the only thing he could do was scream because he couldn’t speak.”

The victim’s father spoke to Judge Anthony D’Apolito, noting that Gunther was a supervisor, “so he’s held to a higher standard.”

Michael Partlow, Gunther’s attorney, said his client accepted the only training he was offered — basically a half-hour of how to properly administer CPR. It had nothing to do with how to do with dealing with a difficult client like this one, which everybody I believe agrees was a difficult client.”

Gunther apologized “for the actions I committed,” saying that “pushing him onto his bed is something I should never have done.” But a few seconds later, he said, “You know what, I can’t do that. I can’t sit here and tell you guys I’m sorry for what happened because the truth is that what happened was not my fault.”

Then he talked about the injuries he received from the youth while providing care to him, like being bitten and scratched. “I got head butted. I got things thrown at me.” He said he “did not abuse or assault” the youth.

D’Apolito said the “truths” of the case are that “Penny’s should be ashamed of itself for the operation that they ran, for the lack of training that they gave, for the structure of what they did, and there is no one from that organization, except the organization itself, that has answered. But I wish I could put this on someone individually, which I cannot do. But they should be called out for what they are, which is a terrible organization.”

The judge said he realizes that the victim “bit and he hit, and he acted out. That is all he can do, and I have sympathy for that.” But Gunther’s behavior needs to be punished, he said.