Foul Play at Florence High: Teaching Assistant Charged After Repeated Odor Attacks
What began as a faint, unpleasant smell drifting through the halls of Florence High School quickly spiraled into a serious health and safety crisis. For weeks, students and staff endured a persistent,
noxious odor disrupting classrooms, prompting complaints of respiratory distress and triggering an extensive investigation. The culprit? A teaching assistant whose prank turned into costly sabotage.
Alexander Lewis, a teaching assistant at Florence High School in South Carolina, faces charges of malicious injury to property after authorities say he repeatedly sprayed an odorant designed to mimic fecal smell across the campus. Between August 25 and September 19, 2025, Lewis allegedly used a spray purchased online to create a disruptive and hazardous environment.
The impacts were severe. The foul odor infiltrated the school’s ventilation system, causing extensive damage to the air conditioning units and costing over $55,000 in repairs.
More concerning, several students experienced asthma attacks and other breathing problems linked to the airborne irritants. One parent told WKRC, “My son’s asthma flared up several times because of this, and I had to take him to the doctor three times.”
Law enforcement officials have not revealed details on how Lewis was identified, but he was arrested on September 19 and released on a $9,000 bond the following day.
He is scheduled to appear in Florence Magistrate Court on October 15 for a school disruption charge and again on November 19 in General Sessions Court on malicious property damage. Investigations remain ongoing, with additional charges possible.
The County Sheriff’s Office described Lewis’s actions as “deliberate and repeated,” emphasizing the disruption, health risks, and extensive property damage caused by the spray.
Online reactions have ranged from outrage over the health and financial consequences to dark humor about the prank’s absurdity. Some commentators have called for Lewis to reimburse the hefty repair bills, while others speculate that the act was motivated by personal grievances.
Conclusion
What started as an apparently harmless prank escalated into a serious threat to student safety and costly damage to school property. Alexander Lewis’s repeated use of a noxious spray underscores how seemingly trivial acts can spiral into serious consequences—impacting health, finances, and community trust. While the story may invite chuckles at the unusual nature of the sabotage, it ultimately serves as a cautionary tale about accountability and the risks of pranks in sensitive environments like schools.