US: 2 Chemistry professors arrested for making meth at university

Two professors at a university in Arkansas have been accused of making meth within the university premises. Professors, Terry Bateman and Bradley Rowland who teach the subject of Chemistry at Henderson State University, were arrested by the authorities on November 15 and have been accused of cooking methamphetamine and using paraphernalia. According to reports, both Terry and Bradley have been on administrative leave after reports of a chemical odor coming from the university's science block were bought to the notice of the authorities.

Preliminary findings showed increased presence of Benzyl Chloride

A representative of the Henderson State University, Tina Hall, stated that preliminary findings showed that there was an increased presence of a chemical by the name of Benzyl Chloride used to synthesize meth in a laboratory. She further added that ensuring the safety of the students was their utmost priority and said that they will continue to cooperate with the authorities.

The science building's environmental service company had shut down the building for renovation and it was again opened after testing by a third party gave the go-ahead that the building was fit for running the department again.

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According to reports, Clark County district judge Randy Hill is set to schedule the first court appearances for both the professors subject to a formal investigation by a Clark county prosecutor Dan Turner. Terry Bateman had been working with the university for a decade as a director of undergraduate research and an associate professor whereas Bradley Rowland was working as an associate chemistry professor since the year 2014. 

Cooking and manufacturing a drug like methamphetamine is reportedly a serious offense and the accused to be staring at a jail term of up to 40 years and using a drug like paraphernalia could mean a prison sentence of up to 2 decades.

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A taco restaurant owner turned drug dealer

Police officials stated that an owner of a chain of taco restaurants, Adolfo "Flaco" Mitchell, in the coastal town of Georgia, turned out to be a drug dealer as he dealt in large amounts of methamphetamine. According to reports, the Chatham-Savannah Counter Narcotics Team stated that Adolfo turned himself to the authorities after being charged for drug trafficking and conspiracy.

According to the police, the accused was getting the drugs shipped to him in order to act as the distributor throughout the Savannah area. The authorities stated that the owner of multiple Flacos House restaurants was also involved in distributing methamphetamine in other states such as Virginia.

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(With inputs from agencies)