LAHAINA, MAUI -- Fred Latremouille was relaxing in his oceanfront condominium the morning after entertaining his friend, Gordon Campbell, at a dinner party, when a former colleague from Vancouver rang to say the B.C. Premier had been arrested for drunk driving.

The caller was veteran broadcaster Wayne Cox, and Mr. Latremouille thought his friend was playing another practical joke.

"I said, 'Wayne, either this is a prank or I'm going to have to go think about this.' He said: 'Well, go think about it.' "

Mr. Latremouille, a retired Vancouver broadcaster, made a round of calls to Vancouver, and soon the news sank in. His golfing friend, who the night before had sat at his dining-room table describing the Queen's visit to B.C. to Mr. Latremouille and his wife, had indeed been too drunk to drive home safely.

"I felt terrible, terrible, just horrible," Mr. Latremouille said yesterday. The Premier had been whisked to a jail on Thursday night, fingerprinted, photographed and placed in a holding cell. On Friday afternoon, a chastened Mr. Campbell called Mr. Latremouille and confirmed the news himself.

"We talked. He said, 'Fred, I made a terrible mistake, and I'm going to have to go home and face the consequences.' "

Four days after the arrest, Mr. Latremouille said he still feels remorse for not insisting Mr. Campbell spend the night. In an interview yesterday afternoon on the beach outside his condominium, Mr. Latremouille, 57, shook his head as he recounted Thursday's events.

As the evening wound down, he and his wife, Cathy Baldazzi, asked Mr. Campbell whether he was okay to drive.

Mr. Campbell insisted he was sober.

"Cathy and I aren't fools. We knew who we were having dinner with. But no one was doing hand-flips. I thought he was fine. He looked fine."

He said he feels particularly bad because the Premier was in a buoyant, upbeat mood.

"We talked about everything," Mr. Latremouille said. "Politics, the economy. He said the B.C. economy was picking up. He was looking forward to the new year. . . . I'm just horrified that we were a part of this."

Like others who have rallied behind Mr. Campbell, Mr. Latremouille said he doesn't think the drunk-driving charge should end the Premier's career.

"Who of us hasn't made a mistake? I think this is a wake-up call for everyone. It certainly is for me."

He said he has known Mr. Campbell for about six years and described him as a casual friend. The two met when Mr. Latremouille asked Mr. Campbell, then in opposition, to play in a golf charity his radio station was sponsoring in Whistler. The two hit it off immediately.

"I liked his directness, his forthrightness, his freshness." Plus, Mr. Latremouille added, "He was a lot of fun."

When he found out Mr. Campbell vacationed in the same west-coast Maui resort region, the two made a point of getting together for dinner at least once a year.

Last Thursday, the Premier called Mr. Latremouille and said he was on his own because his wife had returned to Vancouver. Mr. Latremouille asked Mr. Campbell to join him and Ms. Baldazzi at their condominium complex about 10 kilometres south of the resort where the Campbells had been staying.

The evening started poolside near the communal barbecues just steps from the Pacific surf. The Premier was flipping steaks, mixing martinis and chatting up American residents.

He drank three martinis and fielded questions from Americans who wanted to know whether he was as important as a governor, Mr. Latremouille said.

Later, the three headed upstairs to Mr. Latremouille's suite, where they tucked into their dinner, and the conversation and red wine flowed.

Two bottles of wine later, the diners stopped drinking and switched to club soda.

Still, when Mr. Campbell rose to leave after midnight, Mr. Latremouille asked whether his friend was okay to make the drive back to his hotel.

"I said: 'You don't have to drive. Why don't you hang in?' He said: 'I'm okay.'

"We goofed. We had a party and a mistake was made."

Mr. Latremouille said he has never known Mr. Campbell to drink heavily and doesn't believe he has a problem with alcohol. He hopes political opponents will let the matter pass now that the Premier has apologized.

"He's human."