Fart Spray Led to Evacuations, Hospitalizations and Canceled Classes
Diego Flores, 18, and David Navarrete-Arce, 17, were both charged with possession of a prohibited weapon, a third-degree felony, after authorities said they “intentionally or knowingly” possessed “a chemical dispensing device,” according to court records.
A strange odor at Caney Creek High School on May 3 and 4 prompted extensive testing of the campus’ mechanical, ventilation and sewer systems. Multiple fire departments responded to the school, including Caney Creek Fire & Rescue, and determined that its air quality was safe and there was no odor in the building when it wasn’t occupied by students, the school’s principal, Jeff Stichler, said in a statement May 5.
Students were temporarily evacuated May 3 after “a gas smell near the cafeteria” was discovered and dismissed at 1 p.m., Stichler said in a message to parents. There was no odor when students returned to campus the next day, but the smell returned at around 11:30 a.m., prompting another evacuation and early dismissal, according to another message from the principal. Some students had “strong negative physical reactions to the odor,” including headaches and nausea, and were taken to hospitals by ambulance, according to court documents.
Police and the campus administration ultimately determined the source to be “Hensgaukt Fart Spray,” an item marketed online as a “hilarious and funny gag gift” that smells like “14th-century sewage.”
Flores and his 17-year-old accomplice were booked in a Montgomery County Jail on May 12, but released the same day on $3,000 bond.
