Prosecutors say the man must serve at least two years of the sentence, followed by four years of probation.

Associated Press

PENSACOLA — A former school bus driver in Northwest Florida has been sentenced to six years in prison for hitting a student with a hammer.

Jimmy Edwards, 56, was sentenced this week after pleading no contest to aggravated battery on a child, aggravated assault and child neglect. Prosecutors say Edwards must serve at least two years of the sentence, followed by four years of probation.

The Escambia County School Board voted to suspend and then fire Edwards in November 2016 after he struck a Camelot Academy student with a hammer and then left the student at an intersection.

Court records say Edwards attacked the student after the student called him an old man.

A 55-year-old woman who had been on the bus was given 50 hours of community service for not reporting the attack.