A Florida influencer’s distracted driving ticket has turned into a viral internet controversy after body camera footage appeared to contradict the deputy’s explanation for why she was pulled over.
Katie, an adaptive athlete and social media creator known for her Instagram account Slightlyoff.balance, recently shared footage from a February traffic stop in Florida after she received a citation for allegedly holding a cellphone while driving.
A Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office deputy claimed he saw Katie holding a phone in her “right hand” while driving along North Dixie Highway. The issue, however, is that Katie does not have a right hand. The bodycam footage went viral online after Katie posted clips from the stop across TikTok and Instagram.
In the video, the deputy approaches the vehicle and tells Katie he observed her using a phone with her right hand. Katie then raises her right arm, which ends shortly after the elbow, while questioning the officer’s statement.
Trying to diffuse the awkwardness, Katie joked with the deputy and asked if they could just “call it a day,” but the conversation continued as the officer repeatedly questioned whether she had been using her phone behind the wheel.
At another point during the interaction, the deputy reportedly asked Katie to raise her “hand to God” while swearing she was telling the truth. Katie laughed and lifted her arm before the deputy told her to use her left hand instead.
Despite the confusion during the stop, Katie was still issued a distracted driving citation carrying a $116 fine under Florida law.
Katie shared that she had entered a not guilty plea remotely and was preparing to fight the citation during a scheduled May court appearance. Ahead of the hearing, she uploaded additional bodycam footage from the stop, further fueling the viral discussion.
According to CBS12, the citation was dismissed at the deputy's request before the scheduled court hearing.
Known online for content centered around adaptive fitness and everyday life with one arm, Katie has built a large following through videos she describes as “Doing One Arm Shit.”
Florida’s texting-and-driving law prohibits motorists from manually typing, reading, or entering information into a wireless device while operating a vehicle, though exceptions exist for navigation, emergency communication, and certain hands-free uses.
