Democrat LaKesha Womack, who defeated Rep. Tim Moore (R-NC) to flip North Carolina’s 14th Congressional District, is scheduled to appear in court Nov. 10 on a felony charge stemming from a rental car she allegedly failed to return in 2019.
According to court records cited by Slay News, Womack allegedly did not return a 2019 Toyota Corolla rented from Budget Car Rental by its scheduled return date of October 23, 2019. The car was valued at about $20,000, a figure that reflects the vehicle’s value rather than any amount she allegedly owed. Prosecutors charged her with felony failure to return a hired motor vehicle, a Class H felony under North Carolina law.
A criminal summons was issued in January 2020 but came back unserved the next month. Authorities served Womack on October 11, 2026, at a campaign event in Polk County, more than six years later and less than a month before Election Day. Her Nov. 10 appearance in Mecklenburg County District Court comes shortly before she is due to take office on January 3, 2027.
The case became public in the final weeks of the race, but Womack still beat Moore by roughly 51.1 percent to 48.9 percent, flipping a seat Moore, a former speaker of the North Carolina House, had carried comfortably in 2024.
Womack has acknowledged returning the rental car late but disputed the broader implications of the allegations. She said she was dealing with homelessness and a medical emergency around that time, which she cited in explaining why she never received notice of the criminal case. In a campaign statement, she said voters “deserve transparency,” but that accountability “must be grounded in facts, fairness, and due process rather than speculation or sensationalism.” The report notes she has not publicly given a complete explanation of the circumstances.
A Class H felony can carry penalties from several months to more than three years under North Carolina sentencing guidelines, depending on a defendant’s record and other factors. According to the report, a conviction would not automatically bar Womack from serving in Congress, but it could limit her role.
Slay News cites House Rule 23 as the reason a conviction could limit her participation. The report says members convicted of offenses carrying a potential sentence of at least two years are expected to refrain from voting on the House floor and from committee business. It also notes that expelling a member would take a two-thirds vote of the full House.
Womack has not been convicted, and the charge remains unresolved.
