I lived in Mashpee from '06 until last year. The drug problem in that town rivals that of Yarmouth and Hyannis. The Cape is not the same place it was when I was a teenager. It's really sad. An ex-girlfriend's only sibling died of an H overdose a few years back. I've actually lost count of how many people I've known since I was in HS who've died of some type of drug overdose. I find it hard to feel bad for these people because they made their own decisions, but I understand that opiates are extremely addictive. Young, impressionable kids try it once and they're f*cked.
As far as this kid goes, holding a knife to a toddler's throat, how do you come back from that rock-bottom low and become a productive member of the community? Even if he cleaned up and had years of soberness under his belt, I still wouldn't trust someone like that.