Kathleen Thomas, explaining to the officer that she has one arm. (Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office via SWNS)
By Ottilie Von Henning
This is the moment a Florida police officer pulled over a motorist after wrongly accusing her of using her phone while driving — only to discover she does not have a right hand.
Kathleen Thomas, 36, was stopped by a Palm Beach County Sheriff's deputy on Feb. 11 after she drove past his patrol car and he believed he saw a phone in her right hand.
Body-camera footage shows the officer approaching the vehicle and telling Kathleen he believed he saw her using her phone with her right hand.
But Kathleen quickly raised her right arm, revealing that she was missing her right hand.
Despite this, she was still issued a citation for allegedly violating Florida's wireless communications while driving law.
Kathleen later challenged the ticket in court.
A hearing scheduled for May 27 was later canceled after the officer requested the citation be dismissed due to "lack of evidence," she said in a TikTok update.
A spokesperson from Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office said: "The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office is committed to enforcing Florida traffic laws in an effort to keep our roadways safe for all motorists.
Kathleen jokingly asked the officer if they should "call it a day", arguing that he had "obviously not" seen a phone in her right hand as she doesn't have one. (Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office via SWNS)
"Deputies are authorized under Florida law to issue citations when they observe what they reasonably believe to be a violation involving the use of a handheld wireless device while operating a motor vehicle.
"In this particular case, the deputy initiated a traffic stop based upon his visual observation at the time of the incident.
"After additional review of the Florida State Statutes involved and based upon the totality of the circumstances, specifically the lack of clarity on how violations are labeled in our citation software, the decision was ultimately made to dismiss based upon the difference in wording between Florida State Statute 316.305 and 316.306."
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