A Florida police officer issued a ticket to a woman for allegedly holding her phone in a hand she does not have. Kathleen Thomas, 36, was pulled over on February 11 around 8:04 am along North Dixie Highway in Lake Worth Beach, about one hour north of Miami, by a Palm Beach County Sheriff's deputy.
In a stunning moment caught by bodycam footage, the officer told Thomas that she drove past him 'holding the phone with your right hand, manipulating that phone.' But as soon as he said that, Thomas held up her right arm, showing a stump where her hand would be and laughing hysterically. 'Obviously not,' she said, still cracking up. 'So you want to just call this a day or?'
However, the officer did not budge as Thomas insisted that he could not have seen her holding a phone with her right hand. He then bizarrely asked her to put a 'hand to God' and repeat that she had not been texting while driving. 'The other hand to God,' the officer responded when Thomas lifted up her stump. Thomas then raised her other hand before the officer asked her for her license and registration.
The citation listed Thomas' charge as 'Wireless Comm. Device/Handheld While Driving – First Offense' with a civil penalty of $116, according to CBS 12. In an Instagram video uploaded to a now-seemingly deleted personal account, Thomas said she was getting ready for court this week and had been sent the body camera footage. Thomas added that she had entered a not guilty plea remotely, according to Complex.
However, Thomas ended up not having to appear in court. Records showed her citation was dismissed at the request of the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office deputy who issued it. The scheduled court hearing was canceled when the unusual case was dropped.
The unusual incident happened in Lake Worth Beach, about one hour north of Miami. Florida's Wireless Communications While Driving Law makes texting while driving a primary offense, which means that drivers can be pulled over just for that violation. Drivers cannot manually type or enter multiple letters, numbers, symbols or other characters into devices, according to state law. That includes texting, emailing and instant messaging. However, the law includes several exceptions, as drivers can use devices for navigation, GPS, safety and emergency purposes.
Still, that means that merely holding a phone is not illegal under current Florida law. 'Whether she's holding it in her right hand or her left hand, it really doesn't matter,' traffic attorney Ted Hollander told CBS 12. 'If you are not in a school zone or a construction zone, you are allowed to hold a cell phone.' The Daily Mail has reached out to the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office for comment.
