Two Arkansas college chemistry professors have been arrested on charges of illegally producing methamphetamine in their chemistry lab — sound familiar?
In a case that is nearly identical to the plot of Breaking Bad, Terry David Bateman, 45, and Bradley Allen Rowland, 40, both chemistry professors at Henderson State University in Arkadelphia, Arkansas, were taken into custody Friday at 3:30 p.m., Clark County Sheriff’s Department said in a news release obtained by PEOPLE.
The professors are facing charges of manufacturing methamphetamine and using drug paraphernalia, the released stated.
A science center at the university was closed on Oct. 8 after someone reported a chemical odor, said Tina Hall — the university’s associate vice president of marketing and communications — in a statement, according to CNN and KATV.
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Hall said that the building was reopened exactly three weeks later once the on-call environmental service completed remediation work, which included air filtering systems and temporary removal of several windows.
Bateman and Rowland have been on administrative leave since Oct. 11, Hall added.
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Henderson State University did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
According to the sheriff’s department’s statement, Bateman and Rowland are expected to appear before Clark County District Court Judge Randy Hill once prosecutor Dan Turner decides on a formal charge decision.
The sheriff’s office, Henderson State University, Arkadelphia Police Department and the Group Six Narcotics Task Force are all participating in the case, which remains an on-going criminal investigation, the news release said.
Breaking Bad, which is regarded as one of the most acclaimed shows of all time, starred Bryan Cranston as Walter White, a high school chemistry professor who begins producing and selling crystallized methamphetamine to help his family’s finances after he is diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. The show ran on AMC from 2008 – 2013, providing Cranston with a number of Emmy wins.
