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Visual brief U.S. & Politics 2 sources

Impossible Phone Ticket

A Palm Beach deputy alleges Kathleen Thomas held a phone in her right hand, putting a traffic court case against a driver with a limb difference

Cross-checked across 2 sources
Full visual brief
Drawn.News visual brief: Florida deputy writes impossible phone ticket
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Reporting behind this brief, checked before publication.

Brief text

A Palm Beach deputy ticketed Kathleen Thomas for holding a phone in her right hand after she showed him her right arm stops at the elbow; the case was dismissed.

  1. Frame 1A Palm Beach deputy alleges Kathleen Thomas held a phone in her right hand, putting a traffic court case against a driver with a limb difference.
  2. Frame 2Thomas showed that her right arm stops at the elbow; she first thought the stop was just a misunderstanding.
  3. Frame 3Bodycam video spread after the deputy still wrote the distracted-driving ticket.
  4. Frame 4Thomas told CBS News the encounter stopped feeling funny when the deputy did not back off.
  5. Frame 5The ticket was dismissed, but the episode put disability awareness inside a routine police stop.
  6. Frame 6The practical test now is whether disability awareness prevents the next impossible citation before court.
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Published
May 29, 1:14 PM EDT
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