Photos via Flickr users Lee Nachtigal and Wikimedia Commons.
In a strange case of real life imitating TV, a former chemistry teacher in New Mexico—of all places—recently pleaded guilty to manufacturing meth after apparently giving the Breaking Bad lifestyle a try, the Las Cruces Sun-News reports.According to a statement from the Dona Ana County district attorney's office, John W. Gose, 56, taught science in public schools across the area before he embarked on his brief crime stint. He had just retired teaching eighth grade when local cops pulled him over one fateful night in October 2016, noticing a suspicious-looking styrofoam cooler in his car. Inside they found glassware, rubber tubing, and some freaky chemicals, which—as anyone who's seen Breaking Bad can attest—is basically the meth-cooking starter pack.The cops then checked out Gose's place and unearthed another set of meth-related paraphernalia. He reportedly had enough hardware to manufacture up to about a pound of blue, worth almost $45,000. But instead of dedicating his life to outsmarting the cops and ruling the underground narcotics trade with an iron fist, Gose decided to plead guilty in April. Now he's looking at a maximum sentence of 20.5 years in prison."That the defendant in this case chose to plead guilty to all of the charges is a testament to the strength of the investigation," district attorney Mark D'Antonio said in a statement. "Thanks to the hard work of the Las Cruces Police Department, the New Mexico State Police, and the prosecutors in this office, we are able to close the books on this case of life imitating art while saving the taxpayers of New Mexico the cost of a jury trial."Gose isn't the only drug dealer with uncanny similarities to Walter White. When Breaking Bad debuted in 2008, an Alabama man had already spent years building a massive meth empire. His name? Walter White.Follow Drew Schwartz on Twitter.