Newly-elected Democrat congresswoman-elect up in court on charge of stealing a rental car days after her surprise midterms win

LaKesha Womack defeated Republican incumbent Tim Moore in North Carolina’s 14th Congressional District, flipping the seat to the Democrats. Her victory came a week before a court appearance over a felony charge linked to an allegation that she failed to return a rental car, putting her legal case in the spotlight as she prepares to take office.

A criminal summons alleges Womack failed to return a 2019 Toyota Corolla in October 2019; the charge is for failing to return a motor vehicle worth more than $4,000. The summons was first issued in January 2020 but returned unserved, and she was served at a campaign event in October. Womack says the matter should be addressed through due process and cited a severe hospitalisation that disrupted her finances. She won 51.1 per cent of the vote, despite Moore raising $3 million to her $59,000.