Florida student Brendan Depa was sentenced to five years in prison for assaulting his teacher, who had confiscated his Nintendo Switch in 2023.
An incident occurred at Matanzas High School involving a teacher’s aide named Joan Naydich and a student named Depa. Naydich confiscated Depa’s gaming device after catching them using it during school.
Depa was captured on camera pursuing the teacher through the hallway, forcefully pushing her to the ground, and repeatedly assaulting her until she lost consciousness.
Naydich sustained two fractured ribs and several bruises. During the attack, Depa weighed 270 pounds and stood at a height of 6’7″.
Depa, who has autism, faces charges of aggravated battery against an elected official or education employee for the incident. After serving his time in jail, he will then be placed in a “appropriate group home” for a period of 15 years as part of his probation.
According to the Daytona Beach News-Journal, State Attorney Melissa Clark mentioned during the trial that Depa had admitted to causing harm to an animal. According to reports, she alleged that Depa had assaulted other residents and a doctor during their time at a group home in South Carolina.
According to the Dayton Beach News-Journal, Leanna, his adoptive mother, expressed concerns about Depa becoming a target if he were to be placed in prison.
According to reports, she mentioned that he has faced numerous challenges in his life and shared that he had been taking a staggering 17 different medications at one point.
In January, Gene Lopes, a retired special education teacher who tutored Depa at the Flagler County Jail, expressed concerns about the student’s ability to navigate the prison system.
“He is a very easy target in the prison population,” he said. “Incarcerating a young man with the emotional maturity of a 5-or-6-year-old does nothing to heal Joan Naydich’s physical or mental scars and does not make society safer.”