Professors accused of making meth after odor shut university lab, Arkansas cops say

The line between fiction and reality was blurred on Friday when Arkansas police say two chemistry professors were arrested for making meth.

The alleged chain of events is reminiscent of “Breaking Bad,” the iconic television show about a down-on-his-luck high school chemistry teacher who uses his expertise to manufacture methamphetamine.

Police say Dr. Terry Bateman, 45, and Dr. Bradley Rowland, 40, were arrested last week for making methamphetamine and using drug paraphernalia, THV reported. Both men are listed as associate chemistry professors at Henderson State University in Arkadelphia, where Bateman also serves as the director of research chemistry.

Things broke bad back in October when the university’s Reynolds Science Center was closed for three weeks following reports of an “undetermined chemical odor,” KATV reported. The center closed on Oct. 8 and three days later, Bateman and Rowland were placed on administrative leave.

Authorities say chemicals had been spilled on the floor and that the lab tested positive for benzyl chloride, a compound that can be used to synthesize amphetamines, according to the news outlet.

Investigators would not say whether they believed the men made meth on campus, but both remain on administrative leave, the Northwest Arkansas Gazette reported.

Students say they’re surprised that something so cinematic could happen on campus.

“I personally think it’s crazy; like I have never been exposed to this, and meth on a college campus is something else,” sophomore Ebuka Okeke told KLRT. “I’m just surprised. I heard rumors about it and I thought it might be true but now that they actually got arrested I’m like ‘wow.’ That’s something else.”

The men will appear in Clark County District Court Judge after formal charges have been filed, according to the news outlet.