Nationwide — Alexander Paul Robertson Lewis, a 32-year-old teaching assistant in Florence, South Carolina, has been arrested after repeatedly using fart spray at West Florence High School. The prank sickened students, disrupted classes, and left the school with $55,000 in damages.
Deputies said Lewis sprayed the chemical, which mimics fecal odor, on several occasions between August 25 and September 19. The smell spread through classrooms and eventually into the school’s air conditioning system, according to TMZ.
Some students became ill from the exposure and required medical care. Maintenance crews later confirmed that the odor caused costly damage to the air system.
Lewis now faces charges of disturbing schools as a non-student and malicious injury to property valued at $10,000 or more. He was booked into the Florence County Detention Center last Friday.
Court records show he posted just over $9,000 bond the next day and was released. His first court appearance is scheduled for October 15.
Investigators confirmed the fart spray was purchased online, but did not reveal how they tied Lewis to the incidents.