Authorities identified the man as Alexander Lewis, who worked at Florence High School. According to the sheriff’s office, he had bought an ‘internet-acquired spray designed to imitate fecal odour’ and used it on school grounds.
The prank may have seemed childish, but it ended up costing the school an estimated $55,000 in damages and even affected the health of several students.
Maintenance teams were sent out to check the building. They examined the propane and gas lines and even ran air quality tests to figure out what was causing the constant smell.
In the end, it was the school’s air conditioning system that suffered the most damage, requiring an expensive and time-consuming repair job.
Officials haven’t shared exactly how Lewis was tracked down, but on September 19 he was arrested and booked into the Florence County Corrections Facility. He was released the following day after posting a $9,000 bond.
Lewis now faces two separate hearings. His first is scheduled for October 15 in Florence Magistrates Court on the disruption charge, followed by a November 19 appearance in general sessions court over the property damage charge.
“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. The investigation into this matter is ongoing and additional charges are possible.”
If convicted of malicious injury to property, Lewis could face fines of at least $10,000, along with a permanent mark on his record.
“Glad they found the source….. hopefully he’ll be ordered to pay back that $55,000 that was spent looking for the issue,” one person remarked.
“Some people never grow up what a waste of tax payer’s money!” added another.
