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<DIV class=storyheadline>Physics Professor Goes on Rage in Class </DIV><BR
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<DIV class=timedate>Wed Oct 13,11:12 PM ET</DIV></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
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<P>LAFAYETTE, La. - <FONT face=arial size=-1>A University of Louisiana at
Lafayette physics professor was banned from the campus Wednesday and taken to
the coroner's office for evaluation after threatening his class, university
officials said. </FONT>
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<P>Student Kacie Spears said professor Louis Houston lost control right after
class began Wednesday morning and was yelling obscenities.
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<P>"Then he told us if we got out of our seats he's gonna kill us. He went on
the black board and wrote "911 now", so we were really in fear for our lives,"
Spears told KATC-TV.
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<P>Spears said Houston slapped a student and then told his class he was God.
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<P>After class ended, students left the room in Broussard Hall and someone
called campus security.
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<P>Houston was taken to campus police to answer questions. Officials then
evacuated Broussard Hall and canceled all classes there while police searched
the building. University police contacted the FBI , State Police, and the
Lafayette Parish Sheriff's Department Intelligence Unit for assistance.
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<P>A bomb dog was also brought in to check for explosives, but nothing was
found.
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<P>Spears said it wasn't the first time Houston had an outburst in class.
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<P>"He's always acted a little strange, he's yelled and cursed before, and this
time we waited for it to stop, but it never did," Spears says.
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<P>Law enforcement officers transported Houston to the Lafayette Parish
Coroner's Office to be evaluated for possible involuntary commitment to a mental
health facility. In the meantime, Houston has been banned from the university's
campus and his faculty duties have been suspended.
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<P>University officials said in a statement they would make a final decision
about Houston's employment once a full investigation into the incident is
complete.
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