SALT LAKE CITY – Police arrested two people and seized a large amount of drugs at a Salt Lake City home located across the street from one of Utah’s oldest and most recognizable drug rehab centers.
Police arrested Samuel Teplick, 21, and Candice Kazmarzyk, 18, after an undercover investigation that ended Monday, and according to court documents the pair had a large amount of marijuana, ecstasy tablets and several pain pills that were packaged and ready for sale.
Cindy Larson lives next door to the pair. She has lived in the neighborhood for 36 years, and she said she couldn’t believe it when the arrests happened.
"And all of a sudden I just noticed Sam and his girlfriend and Zack--they hauled them out of the house and handcuffed them, and I thought: 'What the heck's going on?’” she said.
Det. Cody Lougy of the Salt Lake City Police Department said they found evidence during their search.
"We served a search warrant at that residence and discovered a fairly large amount of drugs and money,” he said.
Kayleen Davidson is the clinical director of Odyssey House, which is a substance abuse rehab facility located across the street from the home police searched.
"Yeah, it's really difficult to see that because, of course, we're working with these kind of people every day,” she said.
Davidson said she hopes the pair can find the help they need.
"We just hope that these people that were taken in can find recovery, and we'd be happy to help them,” she said.
Teplick and Kazmarzyk remain jailed on multiple drug possession and distribution charges. Penalties against the two may be enhanced because they were allegedly dealing drugs within 1,000 feet of a Catholic church and a chapel owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Police said staff and patients at Odyssey House recognized some of the activity around the home as being typical of drug traffic, and they alerted police regarding those suspicions.
