In a striking case of life imitating art, a man named Walter White is wanted in Tuscaloosa, Ala., for violating his probation on charges of manufacturing methamphetamine. Though the real-life White shares the name of the beloved fictional high school chemistry teacher-turned-meth cook, the similarities end there: The latter continues to elude the authorities, even as his empire expands; the former seems to have been less stealthy in his illegal dealings.
This is not the first time reality has tread closely to the AMC drama. Last September, a California science teacher was busted for leading a double life that included meth cooking. A couple months later, a 74-year-old math professor in suburban Boston was found to be running her very own home-grown meth lab with her son. And in June, a man went on Reddit describing himself as both a professional chemist and a meth-cooker and recounted the grueling experience of living like Walter White.
