(QUEEN CITY NEWS) — Queen City News has obtained a second piece of dashcam footage of North Carolina Republican Rep. Madison Cawthorn getting pulled over for speeding.
QCN has been petitioning for the release of the videos from three different traffic stops Cawthorn was involved in over the last five months.
We already brought to you the first video earlier this week. This video, his second traffic stop of three, happened on Saturday, Jan. 8 just before 6:30 p.m. on US-74 in Polk County. He was cited for driving 87 miles per hour in a 70 mph zone.
The second video we received Friday is actually his first traffic stop that happened on Monday, October 18, 2021. Just before 1 p.m., a state trooper clocked Cawthorn going 89 mph in a 65 mph zone on Interstate 40 in Buncombe County.
In the video, you can hear the trooper ask Cawthorn for his license. Cawthorn proceeds to tell the trooper that he doesn’t have his wallet. The trooper asked Cawthorn if he was the registered owner of the vehicle, which Cawthorn confirmed he was.
Trooper: “What’s your name?”
Cawthorn: “Madison Cawthorn”
The trooper asked Cawthorn why he was speeding. You can barely hear Cawthorn explain he was on his way back from a meeting before the audio became inaudible due to the traffic conditions.
The trooper returned to his car to run information on Cawthorn’s car. After a few minutes, the trooper returns.
Trooper: “Alright, let me grab your information from you, I think, it looks like it’s registered to, I guess, your dad?”
Cawthorn: “Is it really?”
After getting Cawthorn’s official name, David Cawthorn, and his birthdate, the trooper returns to his car to run information on Cawthorn.
A few minutes later, the trooper returns to Cawthorn’s car with a citation.
Trooper: “Alright sir, there’s gonna be this for you.”
Cawthorn: “Alright.”
Trooper: “Do your best to make sure you have your driver’s license on you, it is something we can charge you with. I didn’t do it today. Just make sure you have that on you. It is gonna be a citation for your speed, I clocked you going 89 [mph].”
The trooper can then be heard explaining to Cawthorn the details of the citation, including a court date of January 4, 2022, at the Buncombe County-Asheville Courthouse.
Trooper: “They want to talk with you, let you know what if anything they’re willing to do or what the penalty is going to be. You have any questions about the citation?”
Cawthorn: “No sir, is this something I can just go in and pay?”
Trooper: “You have to show up and talk with them. They may be willing to bring it down to something you can pay, but it’s not something you’re going to be able to pay before that date. You’re gonna have to show up and talk to them.”
Both Cawthorn’s first stop in Buncombe County and in Polk County involved the same white 2009 Dodge Challenger.
Queen City News is waiting on one more dashcam video from Cleveland County, our third video, and his third traffic stop. Cawthorn was pulled over on Thursday, March 3, around 10:30 p.m. on US-74B in Cleveland County, this time driving a 2019 Toyota. He was also not pulled over for speeding in this incident, but for going left of center.
It was during this most recent incident that investigators learned Cawthorn’s license had been revoked. The charge for driving on a revoked license is a Class 3 misdemeanor with a maximum sentence of 20 days in jail.
The Asheville Citizen-Times reported that Cawthorn was charged with driving with a revoked license in 2017 in Buncombe County. That charge was later dismissed.
