Overview
- A Palm Beach County deputy stopped Kathleen "Katie" Thomas and issued a $116 citation for alleged cellphone use during a traffic stop that occurred on February 11, 2026.
- The sheriff's office provided the deputy's body-worn camera footage to Thomas, who published the video showing she has no right hand and therefore could not have held a phone in that hand.
- The video spread widely on social media and, after an internal review, the deputy asked the court to dismiss the case for lack of evidence and the scheduled hearing was canceled.
- The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office said officers must make split-second judgments in the field but reversed the enforcement action after reviewing the recording; news coverage does not report any public disciplinary action for the officer.
- The episode illustrates how body-worn cameras can alter enforcement outcomes by supplying clear evidence for review and raises questions about the reliability of real-time observations during traffic stops under Florida's distracted-driving laws.