Man arrested for allegedly causing $55k worth of damage to school with fart spray
Assistant teacher Alexander Paul Robertson Lewis has been arrested for allegedly causing $55,000 worth of damage to a school with fart spray.
Lewis has now been suspended from West Florence High School in Florence, South Carolina, after a near month-long investigation into the foul smell that was making the school unbearable for students and teachers alike.
Court documents claim that Lewis was using the fart spray frequently between August 25th and September 19th, which forced the school to pay for multiple investigations to get to the bottom of the issue. Additionally, they paid for a new air conditioning system, which brought their costs to $55,000.
Not only did the smell make the school far from ideal in terms of its function as an educational establishment, but many students also needed medical assistance due to suffering from respiratory issues.
It was only when they began to trawl through CCTV footage that Lewis emerged as a suspect. In one video, he is allegedly seen walking through the school’s corridor while spraying an object that he quickly returned to his pocket.
ABC News claim that the sheriff’s office has said Lewis managed to acquire the spray from an online retailer.
The statement from the sheriff’s office reads: “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.”
Last month, according to Local12, the school reassured parents that their gas lines were secure. One worried parent said, “My son has, his asthma has been triggered multiple times because of this and I had to take him to the doctor three times.”
Lewis was arrested on September 19th and has been charged with disturbing schools and malicious injury to property with a value of over $10,000. He is currently being held on bail with a $9,090 bond.