An injury led to prescription pain pills, and when those became unavailable and too expensive, he turned to illegal drugs.
It’s an explanation Tony Miles has likely given in court before in his role as a public defender in northern Utah. But on Wednesday, wearing a Weber County jail jumpsuit and chains, he made a plea for leniency for himself.
“From taking medication to using heroin, that was an easy one for me,” Miles told a judge Wednesday during his sentencing. “I think all addicts have one thing in common, your honor. We can justify things better than anybody.