A traffic citation for what could be described as an “Immaculate Text” has ended — but not until after going viral.
In what feels like a strong candidate for an “Only in Florida” award, a Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Deputy dismissed a texting-and-driving ticket against Kathleen Thomas on May 27, 2026, for “lack of evidence.” Given that Thomas, an adaptive athlete and fitness influencer on social media platforms like TikTok, lacks the hand she was accused of texting with, “lack of evidence” is doing a lot of heavy lifting there.
The termination of the citation brings an end to what has been a somewhat embarrassing episode for the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, which was further intensified after Thomas posted the deputy’s body-camera footage of the traffic stop before heading to court to contest the violation. The ticket’s dismissal followed soon after.
Whatever It Is, It Can Wait
According to data gathered by the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, there is an auto accident in the state every 44 seconds. Of those, one in seven is due to distracted driving. Texting, which involves all three types of distractions (visual, manual, and cognitive), is cited as a frequent cause.
To mitigate a growing threat to Florida drivers, the state passed the Wireless Communications While Driving law in 2019. This allows police officers to stop a vehicle if they witness someone who is reading or typing on a “wireless communication device” while driving. A first offense is treated as a noncriminal traffic infraction and punished as a nonmoving violation. Any subsequent violation within five years of a prior citation is assessed as a moving violation. Law enforcement can’t seize the device or request wireless records from a service provider unless there was also an accident.
Thomas was pulled over as part of a distracted driving enforcement operation in Lake Worth Beach on February 11, 2026. After the deputy informed her that he’d spotted her texting on a phone she’d been holding in her right hand, bodycam footage posted on Instagram by Thomas shows her brandishing her right arm, which clearly lacks an appendage.
No, No, “Hand of God” Is a Soccer Thing
In most other places in the country, that likely would have been the end of it, but, well, Florida. The somewhat flustered deputy continued to insist he’d seen her manipulating a device, trying to switch to “a hand” instead of maintaining that it had been her nonexistent right hand. After Thomas’ suggestion that the officer just “call it a day” went unheeded, the deputy asked her (with unintentional but still delicious irony) to swear “Hand to God” that she hadn’t been texting. When Thomas waggled her stump at him, he repeated the request for the “Hand to God” oath for her left hand.
Thomas did so, which led not to her being sent on her way with a “Sorry for the mistake, have a nice day,” but instead to her being asked for her driver’s license and registration. Her disbelief, along with her (fairly justified) outrage, led to her decision to contest the ticket. While no longer having to pay $116 is likely a relief to Thomas, the Florida woman is already well on her way to making the best of the situation, with a scheduled appearance on CBS News to discuss it.
