Mom Was Pulled Over by Police for Speeding. She Says the Traffic Stop ‘Saved My Life’
Driver Katelyn Ricchini credited a sheriff’s deputy for helping turn her life around following a traffic stop earlier this year
NEED TO KNOW
- Bodycam footage recorded in March of this year and shared by the Cabarrus County Sheriff’s Office showed Deputy Shawn Singleton pulling over driver Katelyn Ricchini for speeding
- After a tense exchange, the two later hugged and a tearful Ricchini explained that she had moved to North Carolina to get sober and escape an abusive relationship
- Ricchini — who is now 10 months sober — recently reunited with Singleton
What began as a tense exchange between a sheriff’s deputy and a motorist during a routine traffic stop in North Carolina turned into a hug and a life-changing moment.
The Cabarrus County Sheriff’s Office shared bodycam footage of Deputy Shawn Singleton pulling over driver Katelyn Ricchini in March, ABC affiliate WSOC and NBC affiliate WRAL reported. At the time, Ricchini was going home after attending church.
In the clip, Singleton told Ricchini, “I stopped you at 61 in a 45,” to which Ricchini responded, “You didn’t put your lights on until after I slowed down. I was going the speed limit.”
“No, but I clocked you at 61 and a 45 I didn’t stop you there,” Singleton said. “So what’s with the attitude? Just curious.”
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Ricchini asked the deputy, according to the footage, “I’m not allowed to have bad days?”
“No, everybody is entitled to a bad day,” Singleton responded. “I can understand that completely … but I’m trying to be nice and courteous to you … and I’m getting a lot of heat.”
Ricchini proceeded to tell the deputy that she can’t stand cops, saying, “I come from a background where I don’t do cops.”
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After running Ricchini’s license, Singleton was seen returning to the driver and letting her off.
“This is a warning ticket for you to slow down,” he said in the video. “That’s it. No court date, no fines, no nothing. I’ll ask you pay attention to speed limit signs.
When Singleton asked Ricchini if she was okay, she said, “No … the anxiety is killing me. I come from a background. I’m clean and sober now … [but] I’ve always had bad incidents with cops.”
Singleton then asked a crying Ricchini if there was anything he could do, adding, “Do you want to hug?” to which she replied, “Yeah.”
The two then embraced, and Ricchini explained to Singleton that she just moved to North Carolina to get away from an abusive relationship. She left her 5-year-old son behind so that she could get clean and get him back.
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“I never hugged a cop before,” Ricchini said in the footage.
“Don’t lose that fight that’s in you,” Singleton encouraged her.
Ricchini, who is now 10 months clean, told WSOC that she told Singleton she had been “ready to give up” when she was pulled over that day. “I was actually on my way to probably do something that wasn’t in my best interest,” she said.
She recently reunited with Singleton and introduced the deputy to her son. “Look, this is one of the guys that saved my life,” she said.
Ricchini later told WSOC that Singleton saw her as a person and not an addict. “He saw my heart,” she said. “And he saw that I had potential when so many people had counted me out.”
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The Cabarrus County Sheriff’s Office shared a Thursday, Sept. 18, Facebook post about WSOC’s report on the heartwarming exchange, writing, “Sometimes a traffic stop isn’t just about enforcing laws — it’s about kindness that changes lives.”
“Recently, Deputy Shawn Singleton had a moment with a mother recovering from a difficult time. What might’ve seemed like just another interaction turned into something she says changed her perspective on law enforcement,” the department shared.
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“Moments like these remind us that being a deputy also means showing humility, building trust, and breaking down barriers to strengthen our relationship with the community through positive interactions that can truly make a difference,” the statement read.
Singleton declined to comment when PEOPLE contacted the Cabarrus County Sheriff’s Office. Ricchini did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for additional comment.
NJ mom speaks out after store refused to let her breastfeed in fitting room
Tuesday, September 9, 2025
Crystal Cranmore has the details on this story.
NEW JERSEY (WABC) — A new mother in New Jersey is sharing a disappointing experience she had over the weekend in hopes of raising awareness about the law when it comes to breastfeeding.
She says she was refused entry into a fitting room at a store in the Jersey Gardens Mall after she asked an employee to breastfeed.
She recorded the interaction on her phone because New Jersey law allows a mother to breastfeed anywhere they need to.
Sahana Chowdhary pulled out her phone and took a video after she said she went through hoops trying to breastfeed her hungry baby.
“Fitting room is for trying on clothes it’s not for feeding babies, I cannot give you a space you’re not supposed to be feeding in public,” a man said in her video.
The battle to nurse her 8-month-old Alina happened at Cohoes inside The Mills at Jersey Gardens on Sunday.
The family was returning to their home in Scotch Plains from an outing in Manhattan when baby Alina started to fuss.
“Usually, you know, whenever we go out, if she’s hungry, I feed her in the car,” Chowdhary said.
With her car full of family members and returns to make inside the mall anyway, Chowdhary figured Alina would be more comfortable nursing inside a private fitting room.
“There was a lady standing there. So I asked her, I want to feed my baby. Give me a room. And she said, No, you cannot,” Chowdhary said.
Chowdhary said a man who she identified as a manager also gave her a hard time.
“At one point, I also question myself, am I doing the right thing by by, you know, asking them that I am allowed to feed in public?” she said.
According to New Jersey law, you can.
“A mother is entitled to breastfeed her baby in any location of a place of public accommodation, a resort or amusement where the mother is otherwise entitled to be. We have to do a better job of getting the word out,” said Ellen Maughan, a breastfeeding advocate said.
Cohoes’ parent company, Burlington Stores, said it is working with the store to ensure similar situations are handled differently.
A spokesperson put out a statement saying in part, “We deeply regret the situation that this customer experienced, which is inconsistent with our values of being a welcoming and inclusive space for our customers. It is our policy to make our fitting rooms available for women who wish to breastfeed in private and in select store locations, a lactation room is available to customers on a first come first serve basis.”
Chowdhary is sharing her story so other mothers don’t have the same experience.
“The brands need to train their employees. It is insensitive and nobody should go through what I have gone through with my baby that day,” Chowdhary said.
