Poop spray causes $55K in damage at South Carolina school; teaching assistant arrested and charged

A South Carolina teaching assistant was arrested and charged with using poop spray in school, causing students to seek medical attention and resulting in thousands of dollars in damage.

Alexander Paul Robertson Lewis, 32, was arrested Friday and charged with disturbing schools and malicious injury to property, the Florence County Sheriff's Office said in a news release.

Investigators said Lewis used the spray multiple times at West Florence High School from Aug. 25 to Sept. 19. The spray, which can be purchased online, is "designed to imitate fecal odor," the sheriff's office said. Videos have gone viral on TikTok and social media showing people spraying the foul odor in their cars, homes and elevators as pranks.

The spray caused a disruption at the school, and some students had to seek medical attention for respiratory issues, authorities said. It also resulted in a hefty $55,000 bill in repairs for the school's air-conditioning system, the sheriff's office said.

It's not clear whether Lewis has an attorney. He is being held at the Florence County Detention Center.

In 2023, two teenage boys at a Texas high school were criminally charged after a fart spray prank led to evacuations, canceled classes and sent students to the hospital for nausea and headaches. The boys, 18 and 17 at the time, were charged with possession of a prohibited weapon.