FORMER AU LAB TECH PLEADS GUILTY IN DATE-RAPE DRUG CASE

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) – A former Auburn University lab technician accused of distributing a chemical similar to a date-rape drug has pleaded guilty in federal court.

Court documents say Stephen Howard’s guilty plea to three counts of possessing and distributing a form of butanediol was accepted Wednesday by U.S. District Judge Charles Coody.

According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, the chemical known as BD is odorless and colorless and is used as a sedative.

Auburn police said in a court affidavit that they used confidential informants during their investigation into Howard, who worked in the school’s Poly-Fiber Engineering Department.

Court records say Howard also pleaded guilty to methamphetamine possession and he’s still expected to go to trial on two counts of using firearms during drug trafficking crimes