A Florida woman missing her right hand was cited for texting while driving after a deputy accused her of holding a phone in that hand [1].
The incident highlights potential failures in officer observation and the impact of erroneous citations on citizens with visible disabilities. It has drawn widespread attention following the release of police body-cam footage showing the interaction.
Kathleen Thomas was stopped on North Dixie Highway in Lake Worth Beach, located in Palm Beach County [2, 3]. During the encounter, a Palm Beach County deputy said, "You were holding your phone in your right hand" [1]. Thomas does not have a right hand [1, 2].
The deputy allegedly mistook the movement of her arm for the act of holding a mobile device [4, 5]. As a result of the observation, the deputy issued a $116 citation for texting while driving [1].
Following the stop, Thomas expressed her distress over the encounter. "I felt very uncomfortable," Thomas said [6].
Authorities later dismissed the charges against Thomas [1, 7]. The case gained traction after video of the traffic stop circulated online, showing the disparity between the officer's claims and the physical reality of the driver [1, 3].
“"You were holding your phone in your right hand"”
This incident underscores the risks of 'confirmation bias' during police encounters, where an officer perceives an action that fits a suspected crime regardless of physical evidence. The subsequent dismissal of the $116 fine suggests a failure in the initial probable cause assessment, raising questions about the rigor of traffic stop observations in Palm Beach County.
