Palm Beach Deputy Drops $116 Phone Ticket After Viral Video of Woman Missing Right Hand
Updated
Updated · CBS New York · May 29
Palm Beach Deputy Drops $116 Phone Ticket After Viral Video of Woman Missing Right Hand
17 articles · Updated · CBS New York · May 29
Kathleen Thomas, 36, said the deputy asked a court Monday to dismiss the citation she had planned to fight Wednesday, ending a case that began with a February stop in Lake Worth, Florida.
Bodycam video showed the deputy accusing Thomas of holding a phone in her nonexistent right hand, then telling her to raise her left hand after asking her to swear "hand to God."
The Palm Beach Sheriff's Office said the stop was based on the deputy's visual observation, but the ticket was dropped after a review of state statutes and unclear citation-software labeling.
Thomas said the episode left her unsettled and the process burdensome, but she hopes the viral clip prompts better police training and broader awareness that limb differences are normal.
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