North Carolina House Candidate Served Felony Papers at Campaign Stop

Lakesha Womack, the Democratic candidate for North Carolina's 14th Congressional District, was served with a felony summons on Oct. 11. A deputy with the Polk County Sheriff's Office handed her the papers while she was in the area for a campaign event. The charge relates to the failure to return a hired motor vehicle, a matter that dates back to 2019. The Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Office confirmed the service of process to Fox News Digital, though it did not verify that the exchange occurred specifically at a campaign rally.

Womack stated in a Facebook video that she was first informed of the case days prior to the Oct. 11 meeting. She described a period in 2019 when she was homeless and had recently been released from an intensive care unit. During that time, her son was placed in foster care. After retrieving him, she said they lived in a hotel where she struggled to find money for food. She explained that she could not afford the rental car, and the company eventually took it back. She claimed she did not know a felony case had been filed until the NAACP branch in Gastonia mentioned it to her.

Records indicate the criminal case was opened in January 2020. Womack argued that she could not receive the original summons at that time because she lacked a stable address. In a video posted on Oct. 9, she acknowledged that she still owes fees to the rental company. She noted that she believed she had resolved the issue previously, but the debt remains. The video has since been deleted from her campaign page, and she said in later clips that she could not discuss the active legal matter.

Rep. Tim Moore, the Republican incumbent, reacted quickly to the news. His campaign said the incident raises serious questions about Womack's ability to manage her own affairs while advocating for the community. Moore, who has practiced law for over 30 years, stated that everyone should be held to the same standard of justice. He added that the right to keep a rental car ends when the agreement does.

If convicted, Womack faces a sentence of four to 24 months in prison or community service for the same duration. The 14th District covers western North Carolina, extending from the Charlotte suburbs to the rural foothills. Womack's court date is scheduled for one week after the general election. Her campaign was reached for comment regarding the timing of the summons.

The Polk County deputy served the papers using an address from Womack's 2019 records. Womack pointed out that the police did not post her location in Polk County publicly, yet they knew exactly what car she was driving. She said the officers pulled up behind her vehicle immediately after she parked. She questioned why they had not looked for her in the previous seven years but were able to locate her with precision on Oct. 11.