Former Republican Congressman Madison Cawthorn was arrested on Wednesday in Cape Coral, Florida, after failing to appear in court. Police executed a warrant at his home and took him into custody for a citation issued in Naples, Florida, for driving without a licence.
Cawthorn, 30, partially paralysed in a car crash at age 18, entered the US House of Representatives for North Carolina's 11th district at 25. He lost his 2022 primary after claiming fellow lawmakers invited him to cocaine and orgies, alienating GOP allies.
In a statement, Cawthorn blamed a scheduling misunderstanding for missing the court date. He was released after processing. The former congressman has been largely quiet since leaving office but was reportedly planning a political comeback in Florida, aiming to take over Representative Byron Donalds's seat in the 19th district.
This is not his first legal issue. In April 2022, he was caught carrying a loaded gun into an airport, repeating an incident from nine months earlier. Last year, he crashed into a Florida State Trooper cruiser in Collier County.
