Family starts Sage's Army, a group that fights drug addiction

An Irwin man hopes sharing the story of his son's death can help save lives.

Carmen Capozzi and his family started Sage's Army, a group that fights drug addiction, after his son, Sage Capozzi, 19, died in March of a drug overdose.

Their goal is to bring awareness to drug problems among teens, which could help create better lines of communication between parents, their children, law enforcement and educators, Carmen Capozzi said.

"We started with a simple idea of just getting kids to support other kids, which will help bring awareness to this epidemic," he said. "With Sage, we hid the problem because we were embarrassed, and all that did was hurt us."

"But now, I'm a grieving father who is no longer embarrassed because I represent my son, who was a good kid and a hard worker, but had those demons around."

Sage Capozzi was a normal teenager growing up - he enjoyed playing golf, music and spending time with his family and friends. But he had a secret - he was addicted to heroin, his father said.

During his time at school, his father said Sage Capozzi battled heroin addiction, and went through two stints at rehabilitation facilities.

He eventually got clean and moved to Indiana with several family members. But when he returned to Irwin, he began using again, Carmen Capozzi said.

"He was working and working at keeping clean," the father said. "But it just took one call to get him."

He overdosed and died on March 5.

"When Sage died, I spent three days on the floor," his father said. "But Sage's voice came to me and told me to get up and help because not all of these kids out there using drugs are bad - they just need some help.

"I knew I couldn't keep drugs off the street, but I wanted to make people aware of what was going on."

Sage's Army spreads the message to children and parents that it's OK to talk about drug-related problems and support others struggling with addiction, Carmen Capozzi said.

Pierre DeFelice, a part-time police officer in Irwin, encountered Sage Capozzi several times while working in Irwin.

He became a member of Sage's Army after hearing the family's story.

DeFelice first met Carmen Capozzi after a stepson wrecked his vehicle on Caruthers Lane. While waiting for a tow truck to take the vehicle, the two started talking about Sage Capozzi's death and his father's plans to address addiction.

The mission inspired DeFelice.

"Instead of letting Sage's death consume him, Carmen took a proactive role in helping to prevent this from happening to other families," DeFelice said. "When I talked to Carmen that day, my heart just ached for him, and every time we talk, I can physically see the emotional rollercoaster he his on.

"You can just hear it in his voice."

DeFelice plans to work with Sage's Army by raising awareness about drug problems in the community and portraying the police as a resource, not as bad guys.

In several cases, DeFelice said, it's not uncommon for families and friends of people using drugs to avoid the police for fear of prosecution. He said he hopes to alleviate those fears by attending meetings for Sage's Army and participating in the organization's community outreach programs.

"I think if this could change people's opinions of the police, even slightly, they might be more apt to come to us for help," he said. "I'm willing to do whatever I can do to help."

DeFelice said the Irwin Police Department is behind his efforts with Sage's Army.

Carmen Capozzi said he would eventually would like to organize counseling and support groups for addicts in hopes of helping them all come clean.

"Right now, we want to get people involved and raise awareness that this problem exists and that we can make a difference," he said. "If we can offer counseling and support groups, that's great."