NC Candidate Served Court Papers at Campaign Stop Over 2019 Rental Car

A North Carolina congressional candidate was handed a criminal summons at a campaign stop, and the case dates to an unpaid rental car bill from 2019. Lakesha Womack, who is running in the 14th District, said she was served on Oct. 11 as she arrived in Polk County.

The Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Office confirmed that a Polk County deputy served her with a summons for felony failure to return a hired motor vehicle. The office did not confirm that the service happened at a campaign event. A court date is set for one week after the election, according to Rep. Tim Moore's campaign.

Womack said in a Facebook video that officers pulled up behind her car as soon as she parked. She said they used an address of hers from 2019. "I didn't post that I was gonna be in Polk County, but they knew exactly what car I was driving," she said.

Records show the case was opened in January 2020, though Womack said she first learned of it days before the Oct. 11 event. She said she could not receive the January 2020 summons at the time because she was homeless and had no stable address.

In 2019, Womack said, she was homeless with little money when a medical incident sent her to intensive care. Her son was placed in foster care while she was hospitalized. After she got him back, she said, she was living in a hotel and buying food from Dollar Tree to feed him.

"I had a rental car. Couldn't afford the rental car, and they came and got it," she said. In an Oct. 9 video addressing the charges, she acknowledged that she owed fees, adding that she thought the issue had been resolved but that it was not. That video was later removed from her campaign's Facebook page.

Moore's campaign said the situation "raises serious questions" and that Womack "owes voters an explanation, especially since her court date is one week after the election." Moore has held the seat and is a Republican.

The 14th District covers the western part of the state, from the Charlotte suburbs into rural areas of the North Carolina foothills. If convicted, Womack could face four to 24 months of incarceration or community service for that period.

Womack did not discuss the case further in later videos, saying she could not talk about an active matter. Her campaign did not respond to a request for comment.