A one-handed Lake Worth Beach athlete accused of distracted driving by holding a phone in her nonexistent right hand expects to appear this week on national TV after beating the charge when video of the incident blew up online.
Kathleen Thomas said on TikTok this week she will appear Friday, May 29, on “CBS Morning,” which airs on WPEC-12.
A Palm Beach County sheriff’s deputy pulled her over Feb. 11 in Lake Worth Beach, citing her for breaking Florida’s texting-while-driving law, repeatedly accusing her of “manipulating” her phone in her right hand even as she showed him her hand-free right arm, according to body camera footage of the traffic stop she has shared on TikTok.
Why was the distracted driving charge officially dismissed?
The deputy asked Palm Beach County traffic court on Tuesday, May 27, to dismiss Thomas’ traffic ticket due to “insufficient evidence,” court records show.
“Bruh, we knew that already,” Thomas said the following day in a TikTok video, smiling and lifting her right arm.
“Also, side note, you can watch me on CBS Mornings this Friday at 7 a.m.,” she said in her video.
What happened during the traffic stop?
According to the video, the deputy told Thomas during the traffic stop, “You drove past me holding a phone with your right hand, manipulating that phone.”
At that point, Thomas held up her hand-free right arm, and replied, “So, obviously not,” laughing and adding, “So, you wanna just call this a day?”
But the deputy would not budge.
“You had a hand up, manipulating the phone,” he said. “I thought I saw your right hand.”
“So, you didn’t,” Thomas replied. “You didn’t see me with my right hand,” she said, again showing the deputy her right arm.
“Hand to God, you did not have a phone in your hand?” the deputy said.
“Hand to God,” Thomas said, holding up her right hand.
“The other hand to God, you did not have a phone in your hand?” the deputy said.
Holding up her left hand, Thomas said again, “Hand to God.”
The deputy asked for Thomas’ driver’s license and vehicle registration anyway, then wrote her a $116 citation.
Woman pulled over is competitive athlete
Besides the traffic travails, Thomas regularly shares her fitness prowess to her nearly 332,000 followers on TikTok under the handle @slightlyoff.balance.
She showcases herself deadlifting well over 100 pounds on a barbell by grabbing it with her left hand and a black tie connecting the bar to her right arm.
To prepare for the HYROX Miami 2026 fitness racing competition that took place in April, she tied ropes to both arms and pulled weights of over 100 pounds, her TikTok videos show.
At HYROX, Thomas showed her best performance in the sled-pull contest, lugging weights 50 meters. She placed first in that section of the competition, HYRESULT.com reports, over four fellow female adaptive athletes, who use special equipment to help them with the weights.
Thomas placed second in HYROX Miami’s adaptive female division.
Email news tips and articles to Chris Persaud at CPersaud@PBPost.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: CBS to interview one-hand Lake Worth athlete who beat texting ticket
Reporting by Chris Persaud, Palm Beach Post / Palm Beach Post
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
