Possible overdose victim left to die, cops say DUBLIN

A man whose body was found beside a backyard hot tub in Dublin may have overdosed on drugs during a party and been left to die by friends who "freaked out," police said Thursday.

Officers learned of the body by happenstance after pulling over Douglas Campbell, 53, of Lodi (San Joaquin County) for a registration violation about 2:15 p.m. Wednesday on Emerald Drive, said police Lt. Glenn Moon.

Police found the drugs GHB, or gamma hydroxybutyrate, and methamphetamine in the car, authorities said. Campbell told officers that he had gotten the drugs at a home on the 6900 block of Doreen Court, a cul-de-sac about 2 blocks away and a half-mile east of Interstate 680.

Campbell also made a startling admission, Moon said - there was a dead man in the home's backyard.

Campbell told police that he was with three friends Tuesday night, using GHB and methamphetamine at a hot-tub party, and that one of the partygoers had apparently died, Moon said.

GHB, a depressant known to users as "liquid ecstasy" for its euphoric effect, can be deadly if taken in large doses.

It is frequently mixed in liquid, and police do not know whether the man took it intentionally or was given it without his knowledge, Moon said.

The Alameda County coroner is conducting an autopsy. The man's name has not been released.

Campbell and the home's owner, Richard Shahan, 53, along with a third man at the party, "freaked out" and left their friend beside the tub without calling for help, Moon said.

Before being pulled over, Campbell intended to stash the drugs somewhere so he and the other men wouldn't get in trouble when police were finally called about the body, authorities said.

Campbell and Shahan were both arrested on suspicion of possession of drugs for sale.

The other partygoer, whose name was not released, is considered a witness and is not wanted on charges, Moon said.