What are the charges against Brendan Depa? Report says Matanzas student who battered teacher’s aide had previous criminal record

On February 24, 17-year-old Matanzas Brendan Depa was charged as an adult in the aggravated assault of teacher's aide Joan Naydich.

As reported by the New York Post, Depa has a previous criminal record as he was arrested for battery at least three times in 2019, though they were considered first-degree misdemeanors at the time. Though the details of the battery charges were not released, the outlet implied that they were 'domestic' in nature.

In the recent February 21 incident, Depa was accused of pushing Naydich before repeatedly striking her while she was unconscious. As per Palm Beach authorities, he is currently being held at the Flagler County jail on a $1 million bond. However, the suspect reportedly has a developmental disorder, which could complicate the legitimacy of the legal proceedings.

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Brendan Depa has spent time in juvenile custody

Flagler Live reported that at the time of the 2019 arrests, Depa was living in Riverview, Hillsborough County, with his mother, who is an occupational therapist. That year, he spent a short amount of time in juvenile custody for what was described as 'domestic violence respite care'. The details of the 2019 allegations were not disclosed by the Juvenile Assessment Center.

Click Orlando revealed that after a few days in custody, Depa was eventually released as he was no longer considered a threat. Many netizens, however, have complained that he should face a harsher punishment for the recent case due to his past record.

The official arrest document stated that during the time of the 2019 arrest, Depa was not charged with any felonies as he was 15-16 years old. Click Orlando reported that, in an official statement, the Florida State's Attorney's Office noted that he is being charged as an adult due to the brutality of the recent attack.

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Depa claimed he attacked the teacher's aide for taking his Nintendo Switch

According to Flaglerlive, Brendan Depa claimed that the February 21 assault was provoked after Joan Naydich allegedly took his Nintendo Switch, an accusation that Naydich has since denied on an official GoFundMe page launched to raise funds for her recovery in the aftermath of the incident.

The Florida State Attorney's Office summed up the charges against Depa:

“(Depa) did actually and intentionally touch or strike (the victim) against the will of (her) and in doing so used a deadly weapon, and/or intentionally or knowingly caused great bodily harm, permanent disability, or permanent disfigurement."

In the footage of the incident, Brendan Depa can reportedly be seen charging at Joan Naydich, pushing her to the ground before repeatedly striking her unconscious body.

In an official statement, the Flagler County Sheriff's Office said:

“The student stated that he was upset with the victim because she took his Nintendo Switch away during class."

In response to the claim that she took the Nintendo Switch, Joan Naydich released her own comments on the incident through her GoFundMe page, stating that the claims made by Brendan Depa were supposedly untrue.

She said:

"For all you keyboard warriors, I just want to set the record straight. I never took the Nintendo Switch from him. From anyone that's read or heard differently, I've been told this was unfortunately misinformation."

As Brendan Depa is considered a minor with developmental disability issues, the Flagler County School District has reported that they shall not reveal any further details about the case. If convicted of of of aggravated assault charges, Depa could face up to 30 years in prison.