The traffic citation has since been dismissed at the request of the deputy who issued it, according to reports.
PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — A Florida woman was pulled over and cited for driving with a phone in her right hand. The issue is — she has no right hand.
Bodycam video from the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office shows a deputy approaching Kathleen Thomas’ car after pulling her over.
“Today we’re doing an operation for distracted driving, and you drove past me holding a phone with your right hand, manipulating that phone,” the deputy can be heard saying.
Before he could continue, the driver lifted up her arm to reveal that she, in fact, has no right hand.
“I mean, I saw you with a phone in your hand,” the deputy said again.
“So, obviously not,” the woman said while bursting out laughing. “So, you wanna just call this a day?”
The deputy doubled down, saying, “I don’t want to call it a day. You had a hand up, manipulating a phone.”
The video shows the driver and the deputy going back and forth, with the deputy maintaining that Kathleen was holding a phone, and Kathleen insisting that she was not.
“Hand to God, you did not have a phone in your hand?” the deputy said.
“Hand to God,” the driver says while lifting up her right arm again.
The deputy went on to give Kathleen a citation for “wireless communication device, handheld, while driving” and told her she could take it to court to contest it if she wanted.
The case gained national attention after Kathleen posted footage of the traffic stop on TikTok. The citation was later dismissed at the deputy’s request on May 26, according to Palm Beach County court records.