Officer Michael Kotsonis had a weak moment when he thought about a kid without a cake on his birthday.
The Portsmouth, New Hampshire, police officer, headed to Ocean State Job Lot, a chain discount store, after a dispatcher notified him of a shoplifting incident Nov. 9.
Once he arrived at the scene, he filed a report and sought out information on the suspect. Turns out, it was a woman who couldn't afford a gift for her son's fifth birthday party, so she stole ingredients to bake him a cake.
RELATED: Sweet photo of police officer comforting lost boy goes viral
When he got to her house, he spotted the stolen items and told her that he had to return them to the store. Little did she know, that wouldn't be the last time she saw those ingredients.
"After talking to her, I realized it wasn't done with malicious intent and after 19 years in the force, you can immediately tell when someone is lying, and she was genuine," Kotsonis told TODAY.com.
Kotsonis went back to the store to buy her frosting, cake mix, vegetable oil and eggs, which were among the items stolen.
"It's not the child's fault, every kid deserves a cake on his birthday," Kotsonis said. "When I got back to her house, I told her that I understand why she did what she did, but that still doesn't make it right."
RELATED: Georgia policeman helps injured runner cross finish line in honor of his late dad
The single mom of three kids, who is out of work, understood and was very grateful for what the officer did for her.
"Being a police officer, you're so often the bad guy. Between giving out tickets and arresting people, it's nice to have the opportunity to do something nice for someone," Kotsonis said.