OXYCONTIN SUSPECTED IN DEATH

Kannapolis Police Find Bottle Of Painkiller Where Man Visited

A China Grove man died Thursday from what police believe was an overdose of
a prescription painkiller that's become a popular street drug.

Eric Christopher Bowlin, 26, died at NorthEast Medical Center from an
apparent OxyContin overdose, Kannapolis police said.

Bowlin, a mechanic at a Salisbury car dealership, spent Wednesday night at
the home of two friends on Lane Street in Kannapolis. Thursday morning,
police responding to a call from that residence found him barely alive,
Sgt. Joe Allen said.

Police also found an OxyContin bottle, prescribed for someone other than
Bowlin. Based on interviews and on the amount of OxyContin remaining in the
bottle, police determined Bowlin had been using OxyContin during the night.

The drug, a potent painkiller, gives a euphoric high like heroin. Its use
and abuse has risen in recent years, authorities say.

Last year, 21 people died from OxyContin overdoses in North Carolina.

Bowlin, who grew up in Kannapolis, graduated from South Rowan High School
and studied auto mechanics at Central Piedmont Community College. His
father, Dewey Bowlin, said he learned Thursday that his son had used the
dangerous painkiller before.

"I thought he knew better," Dewey Bowlin said. "I don't know. I guess we
didn't read the signs. It's just hard, really hard."

Detective Kay Myers said she was still awaiting toxicology reports on
Bowlin. She said she does not expect police to file any charges in his
death, though there may be drug-related charges against his acquaintances.

Allen said drug users often think they won't overdose because they know
their limits.

"It's that very mentality that causes it to get you," he said.

Earlier this summer, a federal grand jury indicted 10 people - nine from
Iredell County and one from Salisbury - on charges of illegally selling
50,000 OxyContin tablets.