Mysterious goo found in IRCC classroom

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Mysterious goo found in IRCC classroom

By KELLY WOLFE, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

Friday, September 20, 2002

FORT PIERCE -- A building at Indian River Community College remained locked

and a police officer posted outside Thursday night after a student

complained that a sticky " gel-like " substance on her desk gave her a rash,

police said.

College officials locked Building W on the IRCC campus, canceling daytime

classes there and routing nighttime classes to other buildings.

" The college is taking all necessary precautions to protect the safety of

our students and employees, " said Locke, associate vice president and

provost at the main campus.

She said the substance was found in a building of general classrooms, not

science laboratories.

Crews wearing dark green haz-mat suits collected the sticky gel Thursday

afternoon. The substance could not identified locally and was sent to a

regional crime laboratory in Miami.

Sophia Silvra absentmindedly brushed her arm across the clear, sticky

substance when she slid into her desk for her 9:30 a.m. algebra class, said

Audria , Fort Pierce Police spokeswoman. Silvra soon began complaining

of a rash and went to the nurse's office, where she was treated with

Benadryl. The nurse called investigators and paramedics, who took Silvra to

a hospital just to be on the safe side, said.

Two other people, Professor Schwerer -- who touched the substance

before sending Silvra to see the nurse -- and Sgt. Tim Gahn -- a police

officer on the scene -- complained of respiratory irritation. Gahn drove

himself to the hospital and Schwerer went to her private physician,

said.

Schwerer, reached at home, declined to comment. Silvra could not be reached.

By late morning, curious students with an unexpected free afternoon gathered

around police barriers.

Beauge, 18, a computer science student, was in class when the

substance was discovered. Afterward, he walked out the door and into reams

of yellow tape. He said he wasn't as disturbed by the discovery of

mysterious, sticky gel as grossed out.

" That's nasty, " he said. " It makes you feel like you have to look carefully

before you sit down at a desk. "

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