Breaking Bad IRL: chemistry teacher busted for cooking meth, selling at school where he teaches

East Texas chemistry teacher William Duncan, like Breaking Bad protagonist Walter White, applied his love of chemistry to a promising side job as a methamphetamine cook. He was busted for selling home-brewed crystal in the parking lot of the same junior high school where he taught science.

He has not been fired. The school has placed him on administrative release, pending investigation. Police do not believe that any of his buyers were students at the school.

Coverage: Texas Monthly, Uproxx, Gawker, KLTV.

In related news, police in Alabama are still looking for another meth maker, and this one's actually named Walter White. (HT: @milesobrien)

• [Michael Rosefield]

  I’ve just started watching Breaking Bad and am racing through it as fast as I can. The hardest thing is wanting to read reviews and opinions on it but avoiding them due to spoilers.

  I realise this is entirely tangential to the story, but I think it is important enough that you should all know. Tell your friends of my pain and suffering.

  • [Boundegar]

    It’s kind of fun to read the spoilers after you watch.  You pick up thinks you missed.

    • [Michael Rosefield]

      This is why wikipedia should have spoiler tags: select your cut-off point and read without fear of knowing too much.

      • [SamSam]

        They used to, and then I think they dropped them for not being encyclopedic enough….

  • [The Life Of Bryan]

    I’m in the same boat. Got hooked in late July. In fact, I just caught up to the mid-season cliffhanger yesterday, so I’m cut off until iTunes gets the last batch of episodes.

  • [Sara L. Rose]

    Take your time. It’s worth savoring.

  • [bluest_one]

     >I’ve just started watching Breaking Bad and am racing through it as fast as I can.

    Stop that. There’s a limited supply, and soon it will end. Take your time and savour every moment.

• [SamSam]

  I can’t wait to find out if he was inspired by Breaking Bad.

  My hunch: he was, and he believed that as a chemistry teacher he’d be able to replicate Walt’s wondrous ability to create the most amazing meth ever, and became disappointed when he realized there wasn’t any difference between his stuff and stuff cooked in someone’s garden shed…

• [chgoliz]

  “He has not been fired. The school has placed him on administrative release, pending investigation. Police do not believe that any of his buyers were students at the school.”

  Oh, well, in that case….

  • [PhosPhorious]

     Plus, in his defense. . .  it was really good meth.

    • [GoatLordMessiah]

      Said the arresting officers at the scene.

      • [Lemoutan]

        His wife’s brother in law? Please?

  • [TooGoodToCheck]

    Why would you sack him?  He’s encouraged his students to appreciate the value and, um, practical applications of scientific learning.

    • [dustbuster7000]

      Or, you know, because he’s not been convicted yet. That old innocent until proven guilty chestnut…

• [Sean Breakey]

  It should be noted that because of the teacher’s union in the US, firing a teacher for any reason, (even blatant criminality), is a time consuming and labourious process.  I’m assuming he’ll get fired as soon as they can weave their way through the red tape.

  With the way the system is designed, it might even take more then a year, (there are several arbitrary deadlines, and if the appropriate red tape isn’t completed in time, you have to start from square one).

  • [rocketpjs]

     Unions have nothing to do with ‘innocent until proven guilty’.  If you fire an employee for being acceused (but not convicted) of something you are setting yourself up for a massive lawsuit – especially if he is acquitted.

    But go ahead with your refrain on the old ‘teachers unions make the world a crappy place’ song that comes up every time anything happens to do with teachers. 

    • [Brainspore]

      What are you, some kind of Communist?

      • [dustbuster7000]

        America, the last bastion of taking “Communist” as a serious insult, instead of say, a mildly humourous gibe.*

        *Not suggesting anything about Brainspore, just referencing your reply.

• [naught_for_naught]

  As we know from season 1, the real challenge for the scientist turned entrepreneur lies in setting up a relaible distribution network.  I always thought Jessie was terribly undervalued.

• [Nathan Hornby]

  Heh, I had a conversation with my girlfriend just a few days back in this vein, assuming that at least 1 teacher has seen the show, and thought ‘hm, this could work’, and done it.

• [Brainspore]

  That explains why he had suddenly taken to wearing that new hat whenever hanging around the parking lot.

• [Michael Himbury]

  Well the guy should know what todo now – Call Saul