Two Arkansas chemistry professors arrested for allegedly making meth

Two Arkansas chemistry professors have been arrested and accused of making methamphetamine, according to the Clark County Sheriff’s Department. And no, neither of them is named Walter White.

Terry David Bateman, 45, and Bradley Allen Rowland, 40, both associate professors of chemistry at Henderson State University in Arkadelphia, Arkansas, were taken into custody Friday afternoon, the sheriff’s department said in a news release. They face charges of manufacturing methamphetamine and using drug paraphernalia.

A university science center was closed October 8 after someone reported a chemical odor, Tina Hall, the university’s associate vice president of marketing and communications, said in a statement.

The building was reopened October 29 after the on-call environmental service completed remediation work that included air filtering systems and temporarily removed some windows to help ventilation, Hall said.

Hall would not elaborate on what was found following the report of a chemical odor, nor would she confirm whether the professors were suspected of making meth inside the school.

Bateman, 45, and Rowland, 40, are both on administrative leave that started October 11, Hall said.

CNN was unable to reach Bateman and Rowland for comment Saturday.

Both are expected to appear in Clark County District Court once a formal charging decision is made by the prosecutor, the sheriff’s department said. The investigation is ongoing.

Walter White was the lead character in AMC’s “Breaking Bad,” which aired from 2008 to 2013. The show told the story of White, a high school chemistry professor portrayed by Bryan Cranston, who turned to manufacturing crystal meth to secure his family’s financial future after he was diagnosed with lung cancer.