Chemical attack in Friendswood: Branden Jolly receives $300,000 after allegedly throwing drain cleaner at autistic friend

FRIENDSWOOD, Texas (KTRK) – A teenager appeared in court on Friday accused of pouring chemicals into his friend’s eyes, possibly causing him to go blind.

17-year-old Branden Jolly faces assault charges because the victim, 18-year-old Brody Morgan, was diagnosed with autism.

Prosecutors requested that the 11th-grader at Clear Brook High School be placed under house arrest in addition to his $300,000 bail, but the judge denied it.

On May 20, Brody Morgan was walking through his Friendswood neighborhood with two teenagers from school. His mother, Amy Morgan, said they returned home in a panic with their screaming son.

Amy Morgan told ABC13 her son thought Jolly was putting salt in his eyes.

She tried to flush his eyes with water, but that only made the condition worse, so they went to the emergency room.

“I thought he rubbed his eyes so hard that he had black eyes,” she said. “It looked like they were blue and black.”

Brody Morgan claimed one of the youths stole a package from a house down the street. He said Jolly decided to open it and inside was a tube of powder.

According to court documents, Jolly poured the powder on Brody Morgan’s shirt, causing Morgan to push Jolly away. Police said this prompted Jolly to throw the powder in his face.

“We went to the emergency room and they immediately realized it wasn’t salt, and they kept trying to get me to guess what it was, and I had no idea,” Amy Morgan said.

Emergency room doctors urged Amy Morgan to call the police after confirming that the chemical in his eyes was a drain cleaner.

ABC13 spoke to Jolly’s mother by phone. Although she wasn’t there, she believes the incident was a terrible accident.

She said the substance fell from her son’s hand after Brody Morgan “attacked” him.

According to court documents, the other teen told police that Jolly intentionally threw the substance away. Those documents also show that the packaging clearly stated “drain cleaner.”

Brody Morgan could still lose his sight. His eyes were burning badly and he was transferred to the prestigious burn unit in Galveston.

Jolly’s family sent a statement to ABC13 that read in part:

“Our family is very saddened by the details of this case, for both families. I am very saddened by this entire event and my deepest sympathies go out to Brody and his family. I believe this incident was NOT malicious intent on the part of my son to harm his friend, but an accident that was the result of the decisions of all involved.”

SEE MORE: Friendswood teenager at risk of blindness after chemical weapons attack

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