One of South Carolina’s state mottos is “Dum Spiro Spero,” which translates as “While I Breathe, I Hope.” For students at West Florence High School, a prank by a teaching assistant made the first part of the motto fairly difficult for the past month.
According to the Florence County Sheriff’s Office (FSCO), Alexander Paul Robertson Lewis had been introducing a “poop spray” into the school’s air conditioning system since the beginning of the school year. The resulting smell sickened several students, and administrators at the South Carolina school spent $55,000 on inspection and repair of the system in an attempt to discover the source of the foul odor. Lewis was held at the Florence County Detention Center before posting bond on September 20, 2025.
Lewis faces counts of disturbing schools (non-student) and malicious injury to property (Over $10,000), with other potential charges pending.
Puts a New Spin on “Breaking News”
Pranks have been around for a long time. Most attempt to walk the fine line between funny and gross, offensive, dangerous, or a combination of the three. Some, like Burger King’s infamous “Left-Handed Whopper,” demonstrated how a clever marketing trick can be both harmless and boost sales. Others that are less thought out can lead to panic, anger, or even injury.
The social media platform TikTok has served as the launch site for countless pranks, with more popular ones racking up millions of views and encouraging others to try it themselves. Among these is the fart spray prank, in which unsuspecting victims are filmed as they’re surprised by an extremely strong and pungent fecal odor produced by a chemical spray.
It is unknown whether Lewis was seeking internet fame, but his effort at the SC high school hints in that direction. The FSCO stated that Lewis began putting the spray, which mimics the smell of feces, in the air conditioning system of West Florence High School on August 25, 2025. Over the next four weeks, several students reported respiratory issues, some of which required medical attention. The foul odor was allegedly so strong that it disrupted classes as well.
“Go Ahead, Pull My Finger” Wasn’t Good Enough?
He may have intended his ongoing stink campaign to be a joke, but Lewis is facing serious repercussions for his ill-advised prank. The malicious injury charge he’s facing carries a felony penalty, and there’s a chance authorities may seek to add possession of a prohibited weapon to his list of woes.
Everyone likes a good laugh, and some have criticized his arrest as overreach by law enforcement. Still, it seems a bit of an ask for the Florence 1 school system to wave away a $55,000 expenditure because the perpetrator was just doing it for yuks and internet clout. Lewis is probably hoping that the judge he’ll face on October 15 has a good sense of humor.
Related Resources
- What Counts as Criminal Mischief? (FindLaw’s Law and Daily Life)
- Is Your TikTok Video Violating Copyright Laws? (FindLaw’s Law and Daily Life)
- 5 Pranks That Can Get You Arrested (FindLaw’s Criminal Defense Blog)
