CABARRUS COUNTY, N.C. — A routine traffic stop in March turned into a heart-warming encounter between a North Carolina sheriff’s deputy and a woman going through a hard time, WSOC reported.
Deputy Shawn Singleton with the Cabarrus County Sheriff’s Office pulled over Katelyn Ricchini for going 61 mph in a 45 mph zone after she left church. Video shows Ricchini met the deputy with visible frustration.
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“I met him with absolute attitude, just absolute attitude,” Ricchini later told WSOC.
Ricchini can be heard questioning the timing of the stop and venting her frustration. But Singleton remained calm and respectful.
“No, everybody is entitled to a bad day… but I’m trying to be nice and courteous to you, and I’m getting a lot of heat.”
Despite the rough start, Singleton gave her a warning instead of a citation.
What happened next surprised them both.
When Singleton asked if Ricchini was okay, she broke down. She told him about her anxiety, her difficult past and her fight for sobriety. She had recently moved to North Carolina to escape an abusive relationship and leave behind a life of addiction. Her 5-year-old son remained in Maryland while she worked to rebuild her life.
“I’m clean and sober now... but I’ve always had bad incidents with cops,” she said.
Singleton offered her a hug, and in that moment, Ricchini said something had changed. She was battling despair that day — and had considered giving up.
“I told him, I’m ready to give up,” she told WSOC. “I was actually on my way to probably do something that wasn’t in my best interest.”
The encounter gave her the strength to keep going.
Six months later, Ricchini is back with her son and celebrating 10 months of sobriety, according to the report. She recently introduced her son to Singleton, calling him “one of the guys that helped save my life.”
“He saw me as a person and not an addict,” Ricchini said. “And he saw my heart ... he saw that I have potential when so many people had counted me out. In a time of desperation, where I was questioning, ‘God where are you?’ He sent me an angel.”
Ricchini is on track to mark one full year of sobriety in November and has already invited Singleton to celebrate with her, according to the report.
“Don’t lose that fight that’s in you, okay? Because there’s something in you that’s driving you to a better life,” Singleton said. “Don’t lose that, hang on to it.”
