The Raleigh News & Observer reported on Monday, Oct. 10 on the results of running criminal background checks on more than 300 candidates running in the Nov. 8 election, including all state House and state Senate candidates.

A Guilford County candidate for state representative was right at the top of the list of candidates who have convictions or charges pending for crimes other than minor offenses and traffic violations.

State House District 59 Democratic candidate Sherrie Young was listed as having “pending gun charges.”

Young is running against five-term incumbent Republican District 59 state House Rep. Jon Hardister, who is also House majority whip in the largely rural district.  District 59 includes eastern Guilford County to the Alamance County line and a portion of east Greensboro.  North of Greensboro it goes as far west as Summerfield and south of Greensboro as far west as High Point.

The N&O article notes that Young has two misdemeanor charges pending against her from an incident that happened in November 2021.  Young has been charged with discharging a firearm in the city limits and for “going armed to the terror of people.”

Young’s case was scheduled to go to court on Sept. 12, but according to the N&O has now been continued to December, notably after the Nov. 8 election.

There were no injuries reported as a result of the incident, but the police report states that Young fired a handgun within 150 feet of a residence.

According to her campaign finance report, Young won the Democratic Primary in May without spending a dollar on her campaign.  Young’s campaign finance report states that Young donated $140 to her campaign and then paid herself $140 for “holding public office expenses.”

The North Carolina Board of Elections has noted several problems with Young’s campaign finance reports and there are several letters in campaign finance report file from the elections office requesting that she amend her reports.