A former Sheppard Pratt nurse has been charged with raping a minor who was being treated at the Maryland psychiatric hospital.

Michael Cabanalan, 35, was arrested on Tuesday by detectives with the Baltimore County Police Department’s Crimes Against Children Unit on a dozen charges, all stemming from the alleged sexual assault of a helpless impaired individual under the age of 18, without consent.

The charges stem from incidents that police say occurred while Cabanalan was employed at Sheppard Pratt as a nurse.

The victim was a female 17-year-old patient who spent four days in Sheppard Pratt’s Towson facility in early September.

Charging documents stated that, while hospital staff are required to check in on patients regularly, Cabanalan’s visits to the victim’s room were unusually frequent and long.

Cabanalan, police records show, asked for the victim’s phone number and Instagram handle. The alleged assaults began during Cabanalan’s visits to the victim’s room.

A day after the female victim was discharged from in-patient treatment, Cabanalan exchanged text messages with her to meet up after midnight, charging documents state.

Cabanalan picked up the female victim near her home and drove her to his Towson apartment, where charging documents allege he sexually assaulted her before driving her back to her house.

The victim’s mother woke up to the dog barking around 4 a.m. and discovered that her daughter had sneaked out to Towson that night.

Soon after, the female victim and her mother spoke with police and Child Protective Services. Leadership at Sheppard Pratt were notified about the accusations against Cabanalan, and ultimately decided to terminate his employment, according to charging documents.

Following his termination, Cabanalan emailed his supervisor at Sheppard Pratt that his “father was deathly ill” and that he would be quitting without notice to return to the Philippines to care for him, charging documents state.

In a statement to The Banner, Sheppard Pratt wrote that they are working in collaboration with law enforcement and other agencies and remain “committed to a safe and therapeutic environment” where those in their care “remain a priority.”

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.

In late September, documents state that Cabanalan reached out to the victim on TikTok, wondering if she had “told on him,” and asking her to delete records of their communication.

Sheppard Pratt is a nonprofit psychiatric hospital based in Towson. The hospital, first founded by a Quaker in 1853, has over 300 locations across Maryland, and treats addiction, mental health and more.

Cabanalan is being held without bond at the Baltimore County Detention Center. He did not yet have an attorney listed in online court records.

Detectives are asking anyone who believes they may have additional information or may have been a victim of Cabanalan to call the Police Department at 410-887-7720 or the Department of Social Services at 410-887-8463.

This is a developing story.