Madison Cawthorn, private citizen and disgraced former North Carolina congressman, was sworn in as an honorary sheriff’s deputy in southwest Florida last week, a distinction apparently bestowed in spite of his spotty record with law enforcement.
The 28-year-old, who was cited in April for rear-ending a Florida Highway Patrol cruiser, posted a series of photos posing with his honorary badge on Instagram on Thursday.
“Such an honor from [Lee County Sheriff] Carmine Marceno to be sworn in as an honorary deputy in the county that I live in,” he wrote in the caption.
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The former lawmaker crowed that the Lee County Sheriff’s Office “puts the fear of God into those who wish ill on our community,” adding, “Excited to serve!”
Honorary badges do not grant the holder any powers of arrest, nor require them to perform any official duties. It was not immediately clear in what capacity Cawthorn intended to serve. A spokesperson for the Lee County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday.
“There is a reason crime is so low in [southwest Florida],” Cawthorn continued in his effusive caption, “it’s because our law enforcement is allowed to do their job and they execute flawlessly.”
Cawthorn purchased a house in Cape Coral, Florida, in August 2022, according to the Asheville Citizen Times. The acquisition came three months after the freshman congressman lost his re-election bid in North Carolina’s Republican primary.
In addition to tailgating the trooper, who was hospitalized with minor injuries in the crash, Cawthorn was handed traffic citations for speeding and driving with a revoked license while in office. Last May, he was fined $250 after pleading guilty to bringing a loaded handgun to an airport.
