What began as a routine traffic stop in North Carolina became a life-changing moment—one that ended with a hug, a second chance, and what a young mother now calls the day that “saved my life.”
Earlier this year, Katelyn Ricchini was pulled over for speeding by Cabarrus County Sheriff’s Deputy Shawn Singleton. Looking back, she admits she was in a dark place. “I was actually on my way to probably do something that wasn’t in my best interest,” she told WSOC. “I had been ready to give up.”
Body camera footage shows her car clocked at 61 mph in a 45 zone. When Singleton approached, Ricchini met him with frustration. “So what’s with the attitude? Just curious,” the deputy asked. She fired back, “I’m not allowed to have bad days?”
But instead of escalating, the encounter took an unexpected turn. Ricchini broke down, explaining her struggles with anxiety and her efforts to stay sober. “The anxiety is killing me. I’m clean and sober now … but I’ve always had bad incidents with cops,” she confessed.
Singleton’s tone softened. “Do you want to hug?” he asked. Her answer: “Yeah.” The two embraced, and Ricchini opened up about leaving an abusive relationship, moving to North Carolina to start over, and fighting to regain custody of her 5-year-old son. “I never hugged a cop before,” she said through tears.
Instead of issuing a ticket, Singleton gave her a warning and a message of encouragement: “Don’t lose that fight that’s in you.”
Months later, Ricchini, now 10 months sober, reunited with Singleton—this time with her son by her side. Introducing them, she told her boy, “Look, this is one of the guys that saved my life.” Reflecting on the moment, she added, “He saw my heart. And he saw that I had potential when so many people had counted me out.”
The Cabarrus County Sheriff’s Office praised the exchange on Facebook: “Sometimes a traffic stop isn’t just about enforcing laws, it’s about kindness that changes lives.”
Or as Ricchini herself put it: “He saw me as a person, not an addict.”
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