GLENWOOD, Ia. – A former worker at a state institution for Iowans with severe disabilities could spend up to two years in prison after being convicted Tuesday of striking a resident in the head with the heavy end of a butter knife.

Kayla Stevenson was the first of six former workers at the Glenwood State Resource Center to stand trial on criminal charges of mistreating residents with severe autism or similar brain disorders.

Jurors watched an eight-second video that a co-worker shot of the incident involving Stevenson. The video from November 2016 showed Stevenson striking the 19-year-old resident, Tyler Fluckey, on the head twice. Another worker was holding Fluckey down on a couch, allegedly because the 19-year-old disabled man had refused to stop vigorously rocking in a nearby rocking chair, which he liked to tip over. After Stevenson struck the young man with the butter knife, she calmly asked him, “Are we done?” She struck him a second time, asked the question again, then said, “OK.”

Stevenson, 24, was one of seven former workers at the Glenwood Resource Center who were arrested amid a scandal in early 2017 over alleged abuse of residents. Prosecutors withdrew their case against one of the defendants, but the remaining five defendants are scheduled to be tried in Mills County District Court next year.

Stevenson stood trial Tuesday on a single charge of “wanton neglect of a resident of a health care facility,” an aggravated misdemeanor that carries a punishment of up to two years in prison.

Assistant Mills County Attorney Tyler Loontjer told jurors there was no doubt Stevenson intended to cause harm to the severely disabled young man. “Hitting someone on the head with a butter knife is pretty likely to cause some pain or fear,” he said.

Stevenson’s lawyer, Mike Murphy, said the butter-knife strikes to Fluckey’s head amounted to “taps,” which caused no injury. He said there was no indication in the video that the young man winced or pulled away in pain. “Does this rise up to the level of a crime?” Murphy asked the jury.

Stevenson was one of several state workers who were fired over the allegations. Murphy told the jurors her dismissal was sufficient. “She did what she did. She took her punishment, and she lost her job,” he said.

Ryan Fluckey was not present at Tuesday's trial. His mother and others testified that the young man has several brain disorders, including epilepsy and autism, which leave him with the mental capacity of a toddler. Everyone agreed that he sometimes acts out aggressively, including by kicking or hitting people or by trying to tip over furniture. But his mother, Leanne Fluckey of Stanton, said he usually can be talked down or distracted when he has a meltdown.

Leanne Fluckey wiped her eyes with a tissue as she testified about finding out her son had been repeatedly abused by Stevenson and other staff members at the institution. She said they suddenly understood why he'd complained about his head hurting, and why he appeared afraid to return to the institution after visits to the family’s home. “Our family was shocked, devastated. We didn’t understand why somebody would hurt somebody like Ryan,” she said, her voice cracking. “…We feel really guilty about it, because Ryan can’t help the way he was born.”

Stevenson, who was the defense’s sole witness, testified that she learned the butter-knife disciplining technique from more senior members of the state institution’s staff. She said she didn't like such techniques, but she feared if she didn’t go along with her co-workers' methods, they would force her out of her job.

Stevenson also told the jury she struck Fluckey more gently than another staffer had done in the past. “I didn’t try to do it hard enough where it would actually hurt him,” she said. Stevenson, who testified in a soft voice and at times became emotional, said she had nothing against Fluckey. “He was one of my favorites,” she said.

However, under questioning by a prosecutor, Stevenson said she would never hit any of her own five children with a butter knife to the head.

The institution is home to about 230 Iowans with deep intellectual disabilities, such as autism or epilepsy. No supervisors were disciplined in the wake of the scandal, although the Iowa Department of Human Services said it had sharply increased training and supervision, including on nights and weekends. Department leaders emphasized that most of the institution’s workers are dedicated professionals who handle difficult jobs with dignity.

During opening statements in Tuesday's trial, Mills County Attorney Naeda Elliott told jurors that Fluckey has lived in facilities since he was 10.

Fluckey’s parents knew since he was little that he would never graduate from high school or attend college, Elliott told jurors. “He would not get a full-time job. He would not have his first kiss. He would not get married. He would not have children. The best they could hope for him was that he would be in a place where he was happy and safe – and they hoped that would be under the care of people at the Glenwood Resource Center.”

The jury spent the afternoon listening to testimony and lawyers’ arguments, then deliberated into the evening before delivering the guilty verdict in writing. A sentencing date was not immediately set. Elliott, the county attorney, said afterward that the prosecution and verdict send an important message. “It’s our job to protect life’s most vulnerable,” she said Tuesday evening. “We hope this conviction acts to deter others trusted with the care of people with disabilities from exploiting their power and abusing those without a voice or the means to protect themselves.”