A Portsmouth, New Hampshire police officer was called in for a shoplifting case involving a woman who had stolen cake mix, shortening, and frosting (various cake ingredients). After determining the woman’s identity officer Michael Kotsonis went to the woman’s home to recover the stolen items and make an arrest. However, when 19-year veteran of the force Officer Kotsonis showed up at the woman’s house he discovered that the woman had stolen all of the items in order to bake her kid a birthday cake.
Instead of following whatever protocols they have in place for this sort of case officer Michael Kotsonis applied some common sense, and recognized that sometimes a little help can go along way. According to the Clay Center Dispatch Officer Kotsonis was quoted as saying “I’m not going to take away a kid’s birthday cake.” So instead of making the arrest he went back to the store and paid out of pocket for everything the woman had stolen, thus executing the biggest bro move imaginable.
He did this anonymously and wasn’t looking for any credit for his good deed but an employee of the store where the woman had shoplifted the cake ingredients reported it to the local newspaper.
After learning the woman’s identity, Kotsonis went to her home to recover the items. It was there that he found that the woman was a mother who wanted to bake her child a birthday cake.
Kotsonis says the mother’s actions weren’t right, but, “I’m not going to take away a kid’s birthday cake.” He went back to the store and bought the items. The woman wasn’t charged.
A store employee reported his gesture to the newspaper. Frank Warchol, acting deputy police chief, said he wouldn’t have known about it either if not for a reporter’s call. He said Kotsonis exemplifies the department’s mission emphasizing community, commitment and compassion.
“I didn’t do it for the attention,” Kotsonis said Tuesday. “What you do when no one is looking, that’s the character of someone.”
On a day when the news cycle is filled with horribly depressing headlines, atrocities, and the exact opposite of anything resembling ‘uplifting news’ I hope some of you bros can at least catch a grin knowing that there are good people out there doing good things every day.