It's crimes like this that might make Massachusetts reinstate the death penalty.
If only he'd had a pack of smokes on him, then we could see true justice return to that state.
OH, My GOD!! The horror of it.
It's not just Massachusetts, unfortunately. Last year my grandson forgot to remove his small Swiss Army knife from his pocket before school. A teacher spotted the outline, and we went through a six month ordeal, including felony charges. It all worked out, in the end, but the entire episode was beyond ridiculous.
When you live out in the boonies, as we do, you don't go out the door without your pocket knife, not as a weapon, but as something you will need and use.