PITTSBURGH – Halloween is a time for goblins and ghouls to run amok – but it’s also a time for one local man to find redemption.
Registered sex offender Jon Drummond is going the extra mile this Halloween by handing out full-size candy bars to the scores of trick-or-treating children who will be visiting his house, and as far as the 67-year-old’s past heinous abuse of children goes, the community is ready to let bygones be bygones.
“I’ll be honest, there have been days I wanted to go up to his house and punch his teeth in,” said neighbor Randy Norman. “But do you know how much he had to have spent on all those full-size Snickers? It’s a gesture that hasn’t gone unnoticed.”
When Drummond moved to the neighborhood in August, going door-to-door with a petition required to be signed by all members of the community in accordance with Megan’s Law, people were concerned. But after word started to spread that Mr. Drummond would be treating the children four-packs of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, something beautiful happened: the members of the neighborhood stopped seeing a monster, and started seeing the remorseful man in front of them.
“I used to remember the news stories about his arrest and what they found in his house,” said Sandra Banks. “But now I’ll remember Mr. Drummond for his big heart and selfless attitude while I unwrap that big Milky Way later tonight.”
The human spirit’s ability to triumph over adversity never ceases to amaze.
