A Florida woman received a traffic citation after a Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office deputy accused her of holding a cellphone in her right hand while driving, even though she does not have a right hand. The case went viral online before authorities dropped the charge.
The traffic stop happened on Feb. 11 in Lake Worth Beach, Palm Beach County. According to the citation, the deputy stopped the woman around 8:04 a.m. on North Dixie Highway and accused her of violating Florida’s distracted driving law by holding a wireless device while operating a vehicle.
The viral footage
@slightlyoff.balance Low key thought I had two hands for a minute 🤦🏻♀️ #palmbeach #cops #PBSO #floridaman #pulledover
♬ original sound – slightlyoff.balance
The driver, identified in reports and on social media as Katie, posts online under the handle “slightlyoff.balance.” She is an adaptive athlete and content creator who documents life with limb loss on TikTok and Instagram. Video from the traffic stop spread widely across TikTok, Reddit, and news sites after Katie posted footage online.
Body camera footage and cellphone video from the stop show the deputy explaining the citation while the driver repeatedly points out that she does not have a right hand. In the footage, she raises her right arm to demonstrate the physical impossibility, and the deputy continues discussing the distracted driving citation during the exchange.
The deputy cited her under a Florida Statute, “Wireless Communications Device/Handheld While Driving.” The citation carried a $116 civil penalty.
Katie noted in one of her posts, “Turns out you can still get a ticket for driving with a device in your right hand, even if you don’t have a right hand.” The officer notes in the footage, “If you want to take it to court, option five on the back of the ticket. That’s how you take it to court.”
Several reports cited attorneys who said Florida law primarily bans texting and manually entering information into a device while driving. Handheld cellphone use becomes a primary offense in school and construction zones. Reports said the citation did not indicate that the stop occurred in either type of restricted area.
The deputy requested the case be dismissed
UPDATE: body cam footage from cop who pulled over woman for holding a phone in her other hand
by u/australiughhh in whoathatsinteresting
The story gained additional attention this week after court records showed the citation had been dismissed. Multiple reports stated that the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office deputy who issued the ticket requested the dismissal before a scheduled court hearing.
A hearing in the case had reportedly been scheduled for Tuesday, May 27, before the dismissal canceled the proceeding. It remains unclear whether the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office plans any internal review related to the stop. Public reports also did not indicate whether the deputy faced disciplinary action.
The viral case circulated widely across social media platforms on Wednesday as users shared clips from the body-camera footage.
