Two men charged with running meth lab in a Taco Bell in Iowa
(Reuters) - Two men have been charged with making methamphetamine in a lab inside a Taco Bell restaurant in eastern Iowa, authorities said on Wednesday.
Acting on a tip, police arrested Chris Matous, 31, and Kent Duby, 56, outside the restaurant on Tuesday. When officers entered the restaurant, they found remnants of the meth lab in a utility area and arrested the pair, police said in a statement.
Matous faces felony drug manufacturing and possession charges and Duby faces a felony manufacturing charge, in Linn County District Court, according to the police department.
The department said one of the two worked at the Taco Bell, without specifying which one.
Taco Bell issued a statement, calling it an isolated incident. The restaurant chain, owned by Yum Brands Inc, said the arrested employee has been fired and that the restaurant will reopen after it has been sanitized and inspected by the local health department.
"Both we and our franchisee find this completely unacceptable," Taco Bell said.
Lawyers for the two suspects were not available for comment.
(Reporting by Brendan O'Brien in Milwaukee; Editing by Jon Herskovitz and Mohammad Zargham)
