Tragic –
August 11, 2019 – “I believe that they killed him,” Nina Kassel said.Forty-one people died in Utah rehab centers in 2017, according to a report by the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. That was up from 33 in the previous reporting period, 2015. Pete Kassel was ready to beat his heroin addiction, his mother says. Arpidet “Pete” Kassel, 29, was the father of three and had worked as a welder and laborer at a Clearfield trailer manufacturer. His death on Nov. 20, 2018, remains an event his mother and wife still cannot accept. Kassel’s trouble started with a back injury several years ago, his wife said. After surgery, he became addicted to painkillers and later the street drug heroin. In 2018, his problems cascaded. He no longer lived with his wife and children in Clearfield. He was arrested on a misdemeanor drug possession charge and missed some court appearances.“I told them he wants detox,” Nina Kassel said. “He wants to get clean now.” She visited him each evening for the next three days. “On the 19th, the last day, he was fine,” she said. “He told me he was going to get a Vivitrol shot” in the next few days. Vivitrol injections deter addicts from using. They often are given to people as they leave rehab. He died before he could get the shot.
