A Collier County man was sentenced to seven-and-a-half years for intentionally striking two men with his car after a bar brawl.
Christopher Patrick Lee, 38, was found guilty April 25 of two counts of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. The jury returned the guilty verdict following a two-day trial in Collier County.
Lee, who was a math teacher at Golden Gate Middle School, faced both counts after he charged his car at two men after an altercation at the courtyard of Rusty’s Raw Bar & Grill in Naples on Dec. 22, 2019, according to his arrest report.
Both men were airlifted to Lee Memorial Hospital in Fort Myers. One man was knocked unconscious and suffered multiple abrasions. The other man suffered broken bones in his ankle, previous reports indicate.
Witnesses stated that around 1:30 a.m. security had broke up an altercation between Lee and the two men.
As the two men were pulling from the driveway, Lee threw a bottle at the car, according to the arrest report.
The two men exited their car and walked toward Lee, who then accelerated his car striking them, according to the arrest report.
Lee drove from the parking lot.
Deputies contacted the men on Dec. 23 and Dec. 27 of that year. One man did not remember much of the altercation because of his head injury, but the other man identified Lee in photo lineup, according to the arrest report.
Jennifer Kupiec, spokesperson for the school district, wrote in a statement following his conviction that Lee was terminated Jan. 14, 2020, while on a probationary contract.