A Florida deputy ticketed a woman for holding a phone in her “right hand” during a distracted‑driving sting, even though she does not have a right hand and the charge has now been tossed.
Story Snapshot
- A Palm Beach County deputy claimed he saw a driver using a phone in her right hand, but body camera video shows she has no right hand.[1][4]
- The woman received a $116 citation for “Wireless Comm. Device/Handheld While Driving – First Offense” under Florida’s texting law.[1][2][3]
- Florida law mainly targets manual typing or data entry on a device, and simply holding a phone is generally legal outside school or work zones.[1][2][3]
- The sheriff’s deputy later asked the court to dismiss the citation, which the judge granted, after the case went viral and raised questions about overzealous enforcement.[3][4]
Deputy Claims ‘Right Hand’ Phone Use During Distracted-Driving Operation
During a February traffic-enforcement operation on North Dixie Highway in Lake Worth Beach, a Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office deputy stopped Florida driver Kathleen “Katie” Thomas, alleging she had driven past while holding and using a phone in her right hand.[1][2][4] Body camera video shows the deputy telling her they were “conducting an operation targeting distracted drivers” and that she was seen “holding the phone with your right hand manipulating that phone” as she passed his position.[1][2][4] Thomas immediately denied this, setting up a stark factual clash at the roadside.
On the side of the road, Thomas calmly explained that the deputy’s description was impossible because she does not have a right hand, repeatedly raising her right arm to show the missing hand on camera.[1][2][3][4] The deputy pressed her, asking whether she would put her “hand to God” that she had not been holding the phone, but he did not back down after seeing her arm.[2][4] According to multiple reports, he proceeded with the stop, requested her license and registration, and continued to treat the encounter as a standard distracted‑driving citation despite the clear physical contradiction.[1][2][3]
Questionable Ticket Under Florida’s Wireless Communications Law
After the roadside exchange, the deputy issued Thomas a ticket described as “Wireless Comm. Device/Handheld While Driving – First Offense,” carrying a $116 civil fine under Florida Statute 316.305, the state’s Wireless Communications While Driving Law.[1][2][3] Local reporting and legal commentary explain that Florida strengthened this law in 2019 to make texting while driving a primary offense, allowing stops when officers observe manual typing or data entry on a device.[1][2] However, these same reports emphasize that, outside school crossings, designated school zones, and active construction zones, simply holding a phone in one hand while driving generally is not by itself illegal under the statute.[1][2][3]
Coverage of Thomas’s case notes that the citation did not state she was in a school or construction zone, instead framing the allegation as general handheld device use while driving.[1][2][3] A legal observer quoted in prior local coverage stressed that whether the phone was in her right or left hand should not matter, because the key legal question is manual typing or prohibited use, not mere possession of a device while a vehicle is moving.[1] That gap between what the law targets and what the deputy claimed to see led critics to argue the citation reflected both a factual error about her missing hand and a misunderstanding of Florida’s own distracted‑driving standard.[1][2][3]
Viral Backlash, Court Dismissal, and Concerns About Overreach
Thomas contested the ticket, pleaded not guilty in court, and shared the traffic stop video online, where it quickly went viral and drew national attention for its apparent absurdity: an officer insisting he saw a phone in a hand that does not exist.[1][2][3][4] Commentators highlighted how the case fit a broader pattern in which traffic‑enforcement controversies explode on social media because the basic facts are easy to grasp, while the actual legal standard is more technical and often misunderstood by both drivers and officers.[1][3] For many viewers, the footage reinforced worries about careless enforcement and a “ticket first, ask questions later” mentality that undermines confidence in everyday policing.[1][3]
Before a full traffic trial could play out, the Palm Beach County deputy who wrote the citation asked the court to dismiss the charge, and the judge granted that request, ending the case without a finding against Thomas.[3][4] A local television station reported that the traffic citation was formally dismissed, confirming that Thomas would not pay the fine or face further penalty for the alleged phone use.[3] The outcome resolved this incident in her favor but left larger questions about training, judgment, and respect for citizens’ rights when officers enforce complex distracted‑driving laws, especially during quota‑style “operations” that can incentivize marginal or mistaken stops.[1][2][3][4]
Sources:
[1] Web – Cop Pulls Over Woman For Holding Phone In Right Hand – Which She Does …
[2] Web – Woman without right hand cited for holding phone while driving …
[3] Web – Only on 9: Video shows handcuffed woman shoot deputy using gun …
[4] Web – Florida deputy arrested for inappropriately touching woman he …
