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Sandra Yi ReportingWith their families standing by, a newlywed Utah County couple made their first court appearance today. Josh and Kylee Rich are accused of robbing a Lindon bank last Saturday.
Josh is also accused of robbing the same bank twice before. The families are devastated because they know Josh and Kylee could face decades in federal prison.
Sharyn Rich, Suspect's Sister: "He was a good person, and all it takes is one hit of heroin, or whatever it was, to make him go down that downward spiral again."
Police have also linked a third person to the robberies.
The Riches seem like a typical Utah couple just starting their lives together, but we discovered allegations of their drug abuse fit into what is a troubling trend in Utah County. We looked at statistics for Utah County and were surprised to learn that in the past two years, it's averaged at least one overdose death a week. Heroin seizures there have exploded.
If Seth K. could go back in time, he would live his teenage years differently.
Seth K.: "I think kids should just concentrate on being kids."
Seth K. grew up in a privileged home. At 14 he experimented with drugs like marijuana and ecstasy. When a dentist gave him prescription pain killers he got hooked and at 16 he tried heroin for the first time. It didn't take long before the drug controlled his life.
Seth K.: "I'd commit crimes, buy and sell drugs, go to clubs and sell fake drugs, do whatever I had to do. I stole a lot of money from my parents."
Police say Josh and Kylee Rich resorted to robbing banks to support their heroin addiction. Seth can understand that.
Seth K.: "If that's what I had to do, I'm sure I would have went to those lengths. I just never had to do it. It's that bad, it's that much of a craving."
Statistics show how real that is. In Utah County methamphetamine is still the drug of choice, but in recent years drug agents have seen an alarming rise in heroin use.
In 2005 the amount of heroin seized by the Utah County Major Crimes Task Force jumped more than 600 percent over the previous year. Police attribute that, in part, to population growth and greater availability.
Lt. Phil Murphy, Utah County Major Crimes Task Force: "We're seeing a lot of younger kids now and young adults experimenting with heroin than years ago, you never thought they would have tried it."
Seth knows how dangerous it is. His fiance and roommate both died of drug overdoses, within months of each other. That forced Seth to get help.
He grew up in New York state, but has been at Odyssey House, a non-profit drug rehab center in Salt Lake City, for the past year.
Seth K.: "I should be dead. Most people that I know, people that I grew up with are, and I'm lucky to be here."
Utah County drug agents say they are aggressively going after dealers and organizations that bring drugs into the state. They say they've made some headway, but call it a never-ending battle. They hope this story will be a wake-up call to parents.
