Clear Brook High School student given $300K bond after chemical attack could blind his friend
FRIENDSWOOD, Texas (KTRK) -- A teenager faced a judge on Friday after being accused of throwing chemicals at his friend's eyes, potentially blinding him.
Branden Jolly, 17, is facing an injury to a disabled charge because the victim, 18-year-old Brody Morgan, is diagnosed with autism.
Prosecutors asked that the Clear Brook High School junior be placed on house arrest in addition to his $300,000 bond, but the judge declined.
On May 20, Brody Morgan was walking through his Friendswood neighborhood with two teens from school. His mom, Amy Morgan, said they frantically returned home with her screaming son.
Amy Morgan told ABC13 that her son thought Jolly threw salt in his eyes.
She tried flushing his eyes with water, but that only made them worse, so they went to the emergency room.
"I thought he had rubbed his eyes so hard he had black eyes," she said. "It looked like they were bruised, black."
Brody Morgan claimed one of the teens stole a package from a house down the street. He said Jolly decided to open it, and inside was a tube with powder.
Court documents state Jolly spilled it on Brody Morgan's shirt, which caused Brody Morgan to push Jolly away. Police said that then prompted Jolly to throw the powder at his face.
"We went into the emergency room, and they immediately realized that it was not salt, and they kept trying to get from me what it was, and I had no idea," Amy Morgan said.
Doctors at the emergency room urged Amy Morgan to get the police involved after confirming the chemical in his eyes was a drain de-clogger.
ABC13 spoke to Jolly's mom over the phone. While she wasn't there, she believes the whole incident was a horrible accident.
She said the substance fell out of her son's hand after Brody Morgan "attacked him."
Court documents show the other teen told police Jolly threw the substance intentionally. Those documents also show the packaging was clearly labeled drain de-clogger.
Brody Morgan could still lose his vision. His eyes badly burned, and he was transferred to the widely respected burn unit in Galveston.
Jolly's family sent a statement to ABC13 that read in part:
"Our family is very distraught over the details of this case, for both of our families. I'm very saddened by the entire event, and my heart goes out to Brody and his family. I believe this incident was NOT an act of malicious intent by my son to harm his friend but an accident resulting from the choices made by all parties involved."
SEE MORE: Friendswood teen facing blindness after chemical attack
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