Former North Carolina Congressman Madison Cawthorn is in trouble with the law once again, but this time in Florida.
Cawthorn, 30, who now calls Cape Coral, Florida, home, was taken into custody in Lee County on Sept. 10.
The same day, Collier County Judge Deborah Cunningham issued a bench warrant for his arrest when Cawthorn did not appear for his arraignment.
According to court documents, Cawthorn on Aug. 19 received a citation from Naples Police as he drove near the 900 block of Ninth Street. The citation indicates he did not have a valid driver’s license.
It also happened to be his second traffic citation in Collier County, Fla., in just over a year. And just two more added to the list of traffic violations and gun charges he racked up before leaving North Carolina.
How many traffic violations has Madison Cawthorn accrued over the years?
The most recent incident marks two in Florida in the last year.
The first occurred on April 15, 2024, Florida Highway Patrol troopers said Cawthorn failed to move over for a stopped vehicle and rear-ended a trooper’s cruiser near Mile Marker 60 on Interstate 75.
According to that citation, that wreck resulted in $30,000 worth of property damage and minor injury to a trooper.
In North Carolina, he racked up multiple traffic violations and gun charges over the years:
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Dec. 8, 2017 – driving while license revoked (criminal misdemeanor), Buncombe County, dismissed. (charge preceded Cawthorn’s election to Congress.)
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Oct. 18, 2021 – speeding, 89 mph in a 65-mph zone, Buncombe County, consented to a finding of responsibility for improper equipment. Paid $266 in fines and fees.
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Jan. 8, 2022 – speeding, 87 mph in a 70 mph zone, Polk County, pleaded to 79 mph on Feb. 2, 2023. (Fines estimated at $202.)
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March 3, 2022 – driving while license revoked (criminal misdemeanor), Cleveland County, dismissed.
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April 22, 2022 – carrying loaded gun on city property (criminal misdemeanor), Charlotte Douglas International Airport, fined $250 and did not have to forfeit the gun on May 5, 2023.
When did Madison Cawthorn move to Florida?
Cawthorn was elected to North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District in 2020. In his second run in 2022, he lost and moved to Florida shortly after.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Ex-NC congressman Madison Cawthorn arrested in Florida. What to know
