U.S. Rep. Patrick McHenry's former roommate is in trouble.
Michael Aaron Lay, 26, worked as a campaign aide to McHenry in 2004, staying with him and other workers at McHenry's Cherryville home.
Using McHenry's address, Lay registered to vote, casting ballots in the July 20 and Aug. 17 primaries.
The Gaston County district attorney has charged Lay with an election law violation. Under state law, it is illegal to vote if your relocation is only temporary.
A McHenry spokesman, Jason Deans, made a now-familiar allusion:
"This case is much like the Duke lacrosse case in that a politically motivated district attorney sought an indictment against a young man without even granting him an interview," Deans said.
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Re: Roommate-gate?
He took deferred prosecution. That means he had to confess in writing to both counts. There will be a written confession from him in the court file or the DA's file for those two felony fraud counts. So he did it, apparently intentionally. That is an appropriate reflection on his boss, Pretty Boy McHenry.