How familiar is this storyline? White woman blames black man for a crime he didn’t commit. Black man is thrown in jail. But thankfully, this story has justice behind it, thanks to a little girl.

In Ferndale, Washington, 4-year-old Abby Dean was being watched by her babysitter, when a 911 call was placed. The babysitter, a 17-year-old who has not been named because of her age, reported that there was a burglary in progress. She claimed two black men were armed and broke into the house. When authorities arrived, the babysitter told police it was a neighbor.

That neighbor was Cory Oaks. Local police and a SWAT team surrounded Oaks home, demanding his surrender. Oaks states, “I don’t think the babysitter realized the dangerous position it put me in. There was a sniper and his spotter just directly pointed at me.”

Oaks was taken into custody, but when Abby was interviewed, she had different information. She claimed there were two men who came into the house through the back door, but Abby told police they had “peace-colored skin, not dark-colored skin.” The babysitter was questioned, and she admitted she was involved in a scheme with her boyfriend and a friend to steal more than $1,500 worth of items from the house.

The babysitter’s boyfriend is also under 18 and his name has not been released. The accomplice, Ruben J. Benjamin, is 18. The trio were all arrested and charged with theft and robbery.

Obviously, there has been outrage at the false accusations and identification of suspects. The story is all too familiar, with black men being wrongfully accused of crimes they didn’t commit. One Facebook page, Son of Baldwin, made a bold statement about the situation:

Great to hear that this 4-year-old saved this man from false imprisonment, but tragic to see that this is still an issue.