{"id":2031,"date":"2026-05-29T04:34:14","date_gmt":"2026-05-29T04:34:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=2031"},"modified":"2026-05-29T04:34:14","modified_gmt":"2026-05-29T04:34:14","slug":"florida-deputy-said-driver-was-texting-with-a-hand-that-she-doesnt-have","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=2031","title":{"rendered":"Florida deputy said driver was texting with a hand that she doesn\u2019t have"},"content":{"rendered":"
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In February, a sheriff\u2019s deputy was working on traffic enforcement in Lake Worth Beach when he stopped a 36-year-old woman named Kathleen Thomas. After approaching her car, he explained why he had pulled her over: She had been holding her cellphone in her right hand.<\/p>\n

Read more Watch: Blue Origin New Glenn rocket explodes on Cape Canaveral launch pad during test<\/a><\/p>\n

But before he could get very far with his explanation, Thomas held up her right arm. There was no phone in it. There had never been a phone in it because she has no right hand.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo obviously not,\u201d she says, laughing, in body camera footage of the encounter that was released this week after she had obtained the video and posted it on social media.<\/p>\n

Thomas was scheduled to appear in court Wednesday, but the Palm Beach County Sheriff\u2019s deputy who had conducted the stop requested the citation be dismissed, according to court records.<\/p>\n

Their exchange quickly spread across social media this week, bringing scrutiny to the traffic stop.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs with any enforcement action, motorists have the right to contest citations through the judicial process, where all facts and evidence can be fully evaluated,\u201d Teri Barbera, a spokesperson with the sheriff\u2019s department, said in an emailed statement.<\/p>\n

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The statement offered no explanation for what had happened during the stop.<\/p>\n

What happened next, however, was captured on video.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

\u201cSo you want to just call this a day or \u2026?\u201d Thomas asks, still laughing off the mistake. The deputy, however, whose name has not been released, insists he saw a phone. Thomas again shows her right arm.<\/p>\n

At one point the deputy appeals to a higher authority.<\/p>\n

\u201cHand to God, you did not have your phone in your hand?\u201d he is heard asking her in the video.<\/p>\n

In the body-camera footage, Thomas raises her right arm before switching to her left hand.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

The deputy eventually requested that the citation be dismissed, according to court records. After the hearing, Thomas posted another video online to share the news.<\/p>\n

The explanation, she said, was \u201clack of evidence.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBruh,\u201d she said. \u201cWe knew that already.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thomas, an adaptive athlete, told CBS that she was born with part of her arm missing and that she hoped the officer would reflect on the interaction and learn from it. She did not immediately respond to requests for comment. A Palm Beach County Sheriff\u2019s Office spokesperson said the department was reviewing the deputy\u2019s conduct.<\/p>\n

Read more Federal judge had sex in chambers with police officer and lied about it, investigation found<\/a><\/p>\n

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cHand to God, you did not have your phone in your hand?\u201d a Palm Beach County Sheriff’s deputy asks a driver he pulled over for texting with her right hand. She doesn’t have a right hand.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2030,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2031","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-crime-and-public-safety","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nFlorida deputy said driver was texting with a hand that she doesn\u2019t have - Orlando Relocation Report<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=2031\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Florida deputy said driver was texting with a hand that she doesn\u2019t have - Orlando Relocation Report\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"\u201cHand to God, you did not have your phone in your hand?\u201d a Palm Beach County Sheriff's deputy asks a driver he pulled over for texting with her right hand. 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