Arheel's Uncle
Senior Reporter
Custodian arrested for allegedly abusing classroom turtle
Ms. Chompers, a 12-year-old classroom turtle, is on the mend after a custodian was seen on camera allegedly abusing her.
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Custodian arrested for allegedly abusing classroom turtle
by: Molly Curley
Posted: Jan 18, 2024 / 12:48 PM EST
Updated: Jan 18, 2024 / 02:08 PM EST
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SEABROOK, S.C. (WSAV) – Ms. Chompers, a 12-year-old classroom turtle, is on the mend after a custodian was seen on camera allegedly abusing her.
As first reported by The Island Packet, night shift custodian Armard Breeland was arrested on Dec. 20 for the alleged abuse, facing a charge of felony ill-treatment of animals.
According to a report from the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office, an SRO at Whale Branch Early College High School was called to the science classroom on Dec. 20 about an animal cruelty incident.
The science teacher, Dr. Matthew Plantinga, told the SRO he’s been having “suspicious issues” with the pH levels of the turtle tank in his classroom.
Apparently, his most recent test of the pH levels indicated a level 3, which is “1,000 times more acidic than the bottom range for the turtle.”
It wasn’t the first issue Plantinga had with the tank.
According to the sheriff’s office report, the teacher had to do an emergency clean-out of the turtle tank on Dec. 11 after testing the pH level and it also revealed 3. Plantinga thought perhaps a student was messing with the tank.
Another day, the tank was cloudy, the report said, and several students said the tank smelled sour and the live plants in it were slightly dead.
That’s when the school set up video surveillance in the classroom.
The next day, Dec. 20, the teacher said he reviewed the footage and saw Breeland pouring what looked to be sulfuric acid and sodium hydroxide into the tank.
“Breeland used a wooden mop tick to repeatedly stab the turtle, then again sprayed/poured what looked to be a custodial chemical directly on the turtle,” the sheriff’s office report stated.
After reviewing the footage, the SRO reported seeing Ms. Chompers scratching at the side of the tank, attempting to escape as Breeland continued to stab her with the mop stick.
School officials said they wanted to pursue criminal charges.
In an interview with Breeland, he told the SRO he occasionally plays with the turtle and did admit to pouring a substance from the custodial cart to clean the turtle tank.
The principal later took Ms. Chompers to a veterinarian who said she was acting normal but her scutes, or shell scales, had been damaged enough to expose the bone, which could develop infection.
The vet said the main concern now is if the turtle’s internal organs could be damaged by toxins.
According to the Beaufort County School District, Ms. Chompers is “recovering and has a positive prognosis.”
A spokesperson for HES, the company Breeland worked for, said he was terminated the day they became aware of the allegations against him. He had only worked at HES for a short time.
If convicted of the animal ill-treatment charge, Breeland could spend between 180 days to five years in prison and face a $5,000 fine.