Sheriff's Deputies Serve Warrant on NC District 14 Candidate During Campaign Stop

Democratic congressional candidate Lakesha Womack was served with a felony warrant on Oct. 11 while campaigning in North Carolina's 14th District, according to the Polk County Sheriff's Office. Deputies handed the 49-year-old the paperwork at a campaign event. The warrant stems from a 2020 charge of failure to return a hired motor vehicle valued at more than $4,000.

The criminal summons, issued in January 2020, accuses Womack of renting a 2019 Toyota Corolla from Budget Car Rental in October 2019 and not returning it by the agreed date. Authorities said the car was worth $20,000. The summons went unserved until this month. It was not immediately clear why it took that long to serve the document.

Womack is running against Republican incumbent Rep. Tim Moore in District 14, which covers Gastonia, Shelby, Morgantown and parts of far south Charlotte. Her campaign did not directly address the felony warrant when asked about it, but did address attack ads from Moore's campaign. "Over the past few weeks, allegations involving me have drawn significant media attention and attack ads from Friends of Tim Moore. Candidates for public office should be held accountable and voters deserve transparency," a campaign statement read in part. The statement added that candidates should be judged by consistent standards, including their record of public service, their decisions in office, and their responsiveness to the people they represent.

The midterm general election is set for Nov. 3.