A Florida sheriff’s deputy who reportedly cited a driver for clutching a phone in a hand she does not have has quietly dropped the case.
Kathleen Thomas, 36, recorded the stop and posted it to TikTok, where the video went viral, the New York Post reported. The deputy told Thomas she drove past him “holding the phone with your right hand” and “manipulating that phone,” as seen in bodycam footage obtained by CBS News. Thomas held up her right arm, which has no hand, and said, “So I’m obviously not. So you wanna just call this a day?” The deputy replied, “I don’t want to call it a day.”
The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office (PBCSO) citation, issued Feb. 11 along North Dixie Highway in Lake Worth Beach, was tossed at the deputy’s own request, court records cited by CBS12 show. A hearing for Tuesday was canceled. (RELATED: REPORT: Cops Arrest Influencer Day Of Viral Alligator Shooting Video In Florida)
Court records reviewed by The Palm Beach Post show the deputy asked for the dismissal Tuesday, May 27, citing “insufficient evidence.” Thomas reacted on TikTok the next day. “Bruh, we knew that already,” she said.
Ticket Clinic attorney Ted Hollander told CBS12 the citation was shaky regardless of the hand issue. Florida‘s wireless device statute targets typing or entering data, not simply gripping a phone, outside school zones and active work zones.
“Whether she’s holding it in her right hand or her left hand, it really doesn’t matter,” Hollander said. “If you are not in a school zone or a construction zone, you are allowed to hold a cell phone.” Hollander also said many drivers pay anyway. “So a lot of times people pay tickets that shouldn’t be paid, and this could have been one of those examples,” he said.
Thomas competes as an adaptive athlete and runs the @slightlyoff.balance TikTok account with over 350,000 followers. She raced at HYROX Miami 2026 in April and will appear on CBS Mornings Friday, the Des Moines Register reported.
The Daily Caller reached out to Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office for comment but has not heard back as of publication.