She Was Ticketed for Holding a Phone. One Big Problem

A Florida traffic stop has become an internet smash for a bizarre reason: A deputy pulled over a woman and accused her of holding a phone in her right hand, the problem being that she does not have a right hand. The incident took place in Lake Worth Beach, Florida, in February, reports CBS News. Newly released body cam footage shows 36-year-old Kathleen Thomas holding up her right arm, which ends at the elbow, when the deputy explained that he pulled her over for holding her phone with the non-existent hand.

"So obviously not," she says, laughing good-naturedly, per the New York Times. She suggests they "call this a day," but the deputy continued. "Hand to God, you did not have your phone in your hand?" Thomas again displays her arm. After all that, she ended up getting a ticket anyhow and planned to fight it in court this week. However, court records show the deputy on Monday asked that the ticket be dismissed. "He realized, whether it was through social media or whether it was through his own self-reflection, that, 'Hey, maybe this wasn't a great idea. Maybe I didn't handle it correctly,'" Thomas tells CBS.