A 32-year-old South Carolina assistant teacher has been arrested spraying his school with a substance that smells like poop, sickening students and causing more than $55,000 in damages, authorities said.
Alexander Paul Robertson Lewis allegedly surreptitiously sprayed the substance at West Florence High School in Florence, South Carolina, over a nearly month-long span, leaving school officials mystified as to the origin of the foul odor, the Florence County Sheriff’s office said in a statement.
Lewis allegedly obtained the spray, designed to imitate poop smell, from an online distributor, according to the sheriff’s office.
“Investigators allege that Lewis used the spray on multiple occasions and over time resulting in a disruption of the school, children requiring medical attention for respiratory issues and requiring the school to incur an expenditure of over $55,000 for inspection and damage to the school air conditioning system,” according to the sheriff’s office statement.
A motive for the alleged act remains under investigation, according to the sheriff’s office.
Lewis was arrested on Friday, September 19, on charges of disturbing schools and malicious injury to property with a value of over $10,000, the sheriff’s office said.
He was booked at the Florence County Jail, where he is being held on $9,090 bond.
“The investigation into this matter is ongoing and additional charges are possible,” the sheriff’s office said.
Lewis is alleged to have spayed the stinky substance at the school between Aug. 25 and Sept. 19, according to the sheriff’s office. During that time span, students complained of experiencing nausea, dizziness and headaches from the gas-like odor, parents and students told ABC affiliate station WPDE in Florence.
“Personally, as a student, every time I go to my second block class, I walk up the stairwell and immediately, teachers are covering their noses and their mouths, coughing because of the smell,” a student told WPDE. “I got physically sick the other day because of the smell. I feel like I’m going to pass out because I get so lightheaded and so dizzy.”
