QUEBECK, Tenn. -- Local authorities and officers with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said they have taken a White County man into custody for using his business to boost the county’s methamphetamine trade.
Investigators took 78-year-old Edward Rowland into the White County Sheriff’s Office, where he will be booked on two counts of promoting the manufacturing of meth.
They said Rowland ran a hardware store called Rowland Lumber Company.
They said the chemicals he sold were, in most cases, legal and sold in most hardware stores, but in this case, they said that is how he marketed them.They said an entire aisle of his store was dedicated to meth ingredients and that violated the Meth Free Tennessee Act.
Investigators also said that Rowland sold meth ingredients to undercover TBI agents and then gave them advice on how to make meth.
They said that Rowland knew what the customers wanted to do with the chemicals he was selling, and that is why he kept the shelves stocked.The TBI learned about the store by complaints from the community.
The TBI said that the bust is an important one because it's the first time it has charged a business owner under the act that was passed last year.
They insisted that Rowland knew who was buying the chemicals and what they planned to use them for.
"This was a person we believe was giving people tips, you know. If they came in and weren't sure of all the ingredients or how to cook it or what they needed, he had it all right there," said TBI spokewoman Jennifer Johnson.
Some other citizens that know Rowland questioned the charges. "The man doesn't even drink, smoke or cuss. I mean, why would he make meth?" said Tommy Sims, who delivers candy to Rowland's store.
Others called Rowland's arrest long overdue. "I've been hearing he's selling that stuff to make meth," one man said.
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