A teaching assistant in a South Carolina school has been arrested and charged with using fart spray on students, leading to some pupils having to seek medical attention and creating tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of property damage.
Alexander Paul Robertson Lewis, 32, a teaching assistant at West Florence High School, is alleged to have repeatedly sprayed an internet-acquired spray “designed to imitate fecal odor” inside the school over the course of about a month, Florence County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release on Saturday.
Investigators allege that Lewis used the spray on multiple occasions over time resulting in a disruption of school operations and children requiring medical attention for respiratory issues.
The dissemination of the fart spray through the school’s air conditioning system caused $55,000 worth of damage, the sheriff’s office added.
A man who claimed to be Lewis’ brother told ABC News on Tuesday that the suspect was “not interested in making any comment at this time.”
According to ABC 15 News, students reported smelling “a strong gas-like odor throughout the school,” which led to feelings of nausea, dizziness, and headaches.
Parents also reported that their kids stayed at home as a result of the spray’s effects.
“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,” another student said.
“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,” one student said, according to U.S. outlet.
Lewis is being held at the Florence County Detention Center while awaiting a bond hearing.
The suspect is charged with disturbing schools and malicious injury to property. More charges are possible, the statement said.