Bizarre moment police officer pulls woman over for holding phone in hand she does not have
Thomas Bamford
Featured Image Credit: Image: CBS NEWS
In one of the most bizarre police bodycam videos you'll likely ever see, a Florida traffic cop pulled over a woman for holding her phone, only to find out that she didn't have a hand.
Kathleen Thomas, 36, was driving along the North Dixie Highway in Lake Worth Beach on February 11 when she was stopped by a Palm Beach County Sheriff's deputy.
The officer accused Thomas of "holding the phone with your right hand, manipulating that phone."
Bursting out laughing, Thomas would then hold up her right arm, which is a residual limb or stump, before breaking out into hysterical laughter.
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The video shows her saying: "Obviously not," continuing to chuckle, "So you want to just call this a day or?"
Despite the overwhelming evidence, the traffic cop wouldn't change his mind.
“I don’t want to ‘call it a day,’" he insisted. “You had a hand up.”
He added: "The other hand to god." He then asked for her license and registration
According to CBS 12, Thomas' citation is listed as: 'Wireless Comm. Device/Handheld While Driving - First Offense'. This is a civil penalty, with a charge of $116."
Florida’s Wireless Communications While Driving Law classifies texting while driving as a primary offence, meaning police can stop drivers solely for that violation.
Under state law, drivers are prohibited from manually typing or entering multiple letters, numbers, symbols, or other characters into a device. This ban covers activities such as texting, emailing and instant messaging.
However, the law includes several exceptions. Drivers are allowed to use a device for navigation or GPS purposes, receive safety-related alerts, report emergencies, and engage in voice communication that does not require manual typing.
In other words, simply holding a phone is not automatically illegal under current Florida law outside of certain zones. The statute focuses on manually typing, entering multiple letters or numbers, or sending and receiving data while operating a vehicle.
It's hardly surprising given how viral the video has gone, that Thomas took the case to court for a legal challenge.
Her first court date was online, and only to plead guilty or not guilty. She pleaded not guilty and opted for a trial rather than a plea deal.
There was a session scheduled for Wednesday, May 27, but at the request of the traffic cop involved, the charge was dismissed sighting a "lack of evidence".
Palm Beach County Sheriff office have been approached for comment.