A North Carolina deputy's calm compassion with a driver during a speeding stop earlier this year turned a briefly contentious encounter into a deeply touching moment.
In March, Cabarrus County Sheriff’s Deputy Shawn Singleton had pulled over Katelyn Ricchini for going 61 mph in a 45-mph zone, and the stop was captured on his body camera and his cruiser's dashboard camera, WSOC-TV reports. The traffic stop was captured on the deputy's body and dashboard cameras, and the footage was recently released.
At first, Ricchini was antagonistic with Singleton, asking him if she's not entitled to have a bad day and saying she "can't stand cops." Months later, Ricchini told WSOC her initial demeanor was hostile.
“I meet him with absolute attitude, just absolute attitude,” she said.
'Do you want a hug?'
Singleton didn't escalate the situation, and he went back to his cruiser to check her license. Finally, he decided to only give Ricchini a warning.
But the deputy didn't end the interaction there. Instead, he posed a simple question that touched a nerve with Ricchini.
“Are you good?” he asked.
That's when Ricchini opened up about her struggles with anxiety and substance abuse. She also talked about her bad run-ins with police in the past.
Singleton listened, offered encouragement and asked another unexpected question.
“Do you need help with anything at all? Do you want a hug?”
In tears, Ricchini got out of her car, and the two embraced on the roadside. She told Singleton about how she moved from Maryland to escape an abusive relationship and she was four months sober.
When she moved, she had left behind her 5-year-old son. She said she hoped her continued sobriety would help her get back together.
Then Ricchini admitted something heart-wrenching.
“I told him, I’m ready to give up,” she said. “I was actually on my way to probably do something that wasn’t in my best interest.”
