Representative-elect LaKesha Womack, who stunned Republicans by flipping North Carolina's 14th Congressional District in Tuesday's midterm elections, is due in court on Tuesday, November 10, 2026, to face a pending felony charge dating back to 2019. Womack, a Democrat, is scheduled to appear in Mecklenburg County District Court over a charge of wilfully failing to return a hired motor vehicle worth more than $4,000 — a rental car valued at about $20,000 — under North Carolina General Statute 14-167. The date comes one week after her win over Republican Representative Tim Moore, and less than two months before she is due to be sworn in on January 3, 2027.

Key Points

• Rep.-elect LaKesha Womack is due in Mecklenburg County District Court on Tuesday, November 10, 2026, on a pending Class H felony charge.
• The charge alleges she wilfully failed to return a rental car worth about $20,000 in 2019, under North Carolina General Statute 14-167.
• A summons issued in January 2020 went unserved for six years; it was reissued and served on October 11, 2026, at a campaign event.
• Womack beat Republican Tim Moore in North Carolina's 14th District on November 3, 51.1 per cent to 48.9 per cent — a margin of 6,415 votes.
• A Class H felony carries four months to more than three years; Womack has not been convicted and declined to comment on November 6.

What Happened

Womack's win was one of the surprises of the 2026 midterms. She beat Moore, a former speaker of the North Carolina House, in a district drawn to favour Republicans — 147,388 votes to 140,973. It was one of more than 40 Democratic flips as Democrats retook the House, and part of a sweep that turned North Carolina's delegation from 10-4 Republican to 10-4 Democratic.

Days after the election, The Hill, the New York Post and Fox News reported the pending case: Womack is due in court on November 10, in case number 20CR201748-590. The summons had gone unserved since January 2020 until a Polk County sheriff's deputy served it on October 11, less than a month before the election. The charge was not widely reported until after voters had voted.

Background: The 2019 Rental Car Case

Under North Carolina General Statute 14-167, wilfully failing to return a hired motor vehicle is a crime. It becomes a Class H felony when the vehicle is worth more than $4,000; the rental car in this case was valued at about $20,000. Class H is North Carolina's lowest felony class, with sentencing guidelines from four months to more than three years.

Womack has been charged, not convicted, and is presumed innocent unless a court finds otherwise. Little else has been made public — not why the summons went unserved for so long, what happened to the car, or whether any civil claim was settled.

LaKesha Womack Felony Court Date: What the Charge Means

The November 10 appearance is the first court date in a case pending, in one form or another, for nearly seven years. A first appearance is typically procedural: the charge is read, the defendant enters a plea, and the court sets a schedule. It may also be continued while the parties gather records.

The political stakes are separate from the legal ones. Under House rules, members formally charged with a felony punishable by two or more years are expected to step aside from committees and leadership roles while charges are pending. A Class H felony can carry more than three years, so the rule could apply if the case is still open when Womack takes her seat. Nothing reported so far suggests it would stop her being sworn in on January 3, 2027: the Constitution requires only age, citizenship and state residency.

Reactions and Questions

Womack declined to comment when Fox News Digital asked her on Friday, November 6. She has not publicly addressed the charge, and no statement from her campaign or lawyers has been reported — leaving open what happened to the car in 2019, why the summons sat unserved for six years, and how she will handle the case as a member-elect.

The case draws attention because of the contrast with her result: she beat a former state House speaker in a district Republicans considered safe. The charge does not change the outcome — voters chose her by 6,415 votes — but one of the new members of the 120th Congress will arrive in Washington with a felony case pending.

Why It Matters

First, it tests the House's own rules. The expectation that members charged with serious felonies step aside from committees is a norm, not a law, and its application to a newly elected member will be watched closely. Second, it tests how the new Democratic majority treats a member with a pending case.

Third, it matters for voters in the 14th District, who chose Womack without the charge being widely known before the election. The summons was served on October 11, but the case was not widely reported until after November 3. They will want to know what happened — and whether their new representative can do the job while in court.

What Happens Next

After November 10, the case could move towards a plea, a trial date, a dismissal or a continuance. Court records and the district attorney's office will be the best guide, and this story will be updated as the case develops. Meanwhile, results in North Carolina are still being certified, and the new Congress convenes on January 3, 2027.

Read more: Democrats flip North Carolina House delegation 10-4 in stunning midterm reversal; Roy Cooper flips North Carolina Senate seat, Democrats' first win since 2008.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is LaKesha Womack charged with?

A Class H felony of wilfully failing to return a hired motor vehicle worth more than $4,000, under North Carolina General Statute 14-167. The vehicle was a rental car valued at about $20,000, from 2019.

When is her court date?

Tuesday, November 10, 2026, in Mecklenburg County District Court. Case number 20CR201748-590.

Has Womack been convicted?

No. She has been charged, not convicted, and is presumed innocent unless a court finds otherwise. She declined to comment on November 6.

Could the charge stop her taking her seat?

Nothing reported so far suggests so. The Constitution's qualifications for the House do not include a pending charge, though House rules expect members charged with a felony punishable by two or more years to step aside from committees while charges are pending.

How did Womack win the 14th District?

She beat Republican Tim Moore, a former state House speaker, 51.1 per cent to 48.9 per cent — 147,388 votes to 140,973, a margin of 6,415 votes — in a district drawn to favour Republicans.