According to this article from the WRAL-TV website, a month ago a woman shoplifted children’s toys from a Best Buy in Knightdale NC, a small town adjacent to Raleigh. She was caught and the police were called.

When a young officer arrived, he interrogated the woman and discovered she was without a job and caring for her young son and elderly mother and was afraid she wouldn’t be able to buy her son anything for Christmas.

The 25-year-old police officer, Jarred Bridges, has two children and felt sympathy for the woman. He did his duty and charged her with the theft, but then he and a store employee pooled their money and paid for the stolen toys so the woman could take them. The criminal charge is pending, and the woman says she will accept whatever punishment she gets.

While the article doesn’t mention it, it’s clear from the accompanying video (which unfortunately I don’t think I can embed here) that the woman in question is black and the officer is white. That’s something worth noting given other news stories with less happy endings.

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