BEATRICE, Neb. (AP) — A 37-year-old Diller man has pleaded no contest to an amended charge in the abuse case of a Beatrice State Developmental Center resident.

Shawn Ebeling entered the plea Thursday to a misdemeanor charge of attempted abuse of a vulnerable adult. In exchange, prosecutors dropped a more serious felony charge.

Ebeling faces up to a year in jail when he’s sentenced Jan. 5.

Another employee of the center reported that Ebeling punched a patient on Aug. 24, and then manhandled the patient until the patient’s face struck the handle of a fuse box. Ebeling told investigators he got upset when the resident tried to bite him and he pushed “a little too hard.”

The facility houses and treats disabled residents.