Class, Teacher Sickened by Likely Pepper Spray Prank

A midmorning math class at Rio Mesa High School was evacuated Monday after what appeared to be a pepper spray attack sickened dozens of people and sent the teacher and two students to a hospital emergency room.

Ventura County rescue crews said the noxious fumes were apparently the result of someone releasing a stream of pepper spray inside the classroom between the second- and third-period classes.

“After walking into the classroom, they started having burning skin and itchy eyes,” said Fire Capt. Richard R. Dorn. “We haven’t got 100% confirmation, but it seems to be the result of pepper spray contamination.”

Once outside, six students and math teacher Cathy Hewson complained of serious injuries, Dorn said. But only Hewson and two students opted to be transported to St. John’s Regional Medical Center for further observation.

All three of the patients were treated in the emergency room and released, a hospital official said. The two students, ages 17 and 18, were not identified.

Thirty-five children are enrolled in the remedial math class, but Hewson had not yet taken roll when the students became ill. Students said they suffered watery eyes, scratchy throats and headaches shortly after entering the 11 a.m. class.

“Three minutes into the class, people started coughing and complaining of headaches,’ said Jason Ayala, a senior who said he was still suffering from the effects of the spray an hour after the exposure.

“I’ve still got a migraine between my eyes, and my stomach hurts,” Jason said. “Our teacher got it the worst, though. She almost fainted.”

After evacuating the room, however, most of the students were well enough to continue through the school day, Principal Eric M. Ortega said.

“A lot of the gas has dissipated, and the vast majority of students went to their next class,” Ortega said. “But if there’s any nausea or headaches, we’ll begin contacting parents.”

By noontime, school officials had ordered an evaluation of the heating and air-conditioning systems, which are independent for each classroom, the principal said.

Ortega said it is against school rules for students to bring any substance like pepper spray on campus, but during the lunch recess several students said that some classmates routinely bring personal canisters of pepper spray to class.

“A lot of kids carry them on their key chains,” said one Rio Mesa senior.

Michael Pinner, who manages the Battlefield Adventures supplies store in Ventura, said pepper spray has become popular for two reasons.

Foremost, he said, the substance is a nonlethal self-defense tool. Also, the state of California last January stopped requiring people to complete training classes before they could legally possess pepper spray.

“It was a huge seller once the repeal came in,” said Pinner, who stocks eight brands and even more types of canisters.

“There’s pen-size, pocket-size, all types of sizes,” he said. “Then there’s different spray mechanisms that spray long distances or fog streams. Some are even mixed with types of tear gas.”

Student Bryson Finger said that most of the third-period math class knew something was wrong right away.

“My nose started to tingle and I started to sneeze,” he said. “Then my throat got itchy all along the back of it.”

An hour after paramedics checked him for serious injuries, Bryson said he was suffering lingering effects from the exposure. “My throat is tight. It burns, and I have a headache,” he said.

Ventura County Sheriff’s Deputy Lance Brooks, who was compiling a report in the school’s office at noon, said early indications are that a student deliberately sprayed the substance into the classroom’s open window.

But the culprit may never be punished, he said.

“I’m taking a crime report,” he said. “Hopefully, one of the students will come forward and we’ll find out what happened.”