Man accused of making GHB to stand trial

-- Greg Risling

A grand jury has returned an indictment against a 25-year-old Lido Isle

man charged with manufacturing and possessing the date rape drug, GHB.

Jonah Allen was scheduled to have a preliminary hearing Thursday, but the

case was dismissed in lieu of the grand jury’s review of the allegations.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Jon Fish said his office opted for the grand jury

route because it is usually a speedier process.

“It’s a more convenient way of putting on a case like this that has a lot

of scientific evidence,” he said. “Some of the evidence is sensitive and

won’t be revealed until there is a trial.”

Allen is accused of having a makeshift laboratory in his Via Waziers home

on Lido Isle. Inside, authorities said they found 32 ounces of

gamma-hydroxy-butrate, otherwise known as “liquid ecstasy.” The drug was

found in two plastic bottles that were each marked with a skull and

crossbones.

The drug is clear and odorless and usually taken in small doses. The drug

can give users a heavy, groggy feeling, and it can sometimes render them

unconscious.

Allen, a Newport Harbor High School graduate, faces four charges pending

from his July arrest, including manufacturing and possessing GHB,

possession of methamphetamine and resisting arrest.

Allen has been released after posting $100,000 bail. He will be arraigned

on Nov. 9 in Orange County Superior Court. His trial will likely take

place early next year.