Cassy McWade was left stranded by tow truck driver Ken Shupe, who says he didn't want to help her because of Bernie Sanders campaign signs on her car. WLOS video screenshot

Cassy McWade was left with her disabled car on a North Carolina highway when a tow truck driver who supports Donald Trump refused service because of her Bernie Sanders stickers. Photo courtesy Cassy McWade

Ken Shupe of Shupee Max towing service in Traveler's Rest, S.C., says "the Lord" told him to abandon a disabled woman on a North Carolina highway. WLOS screenshot

ASHEVILLE, N.C., May 6 (UPI) -- A tow truck driver refused to help a disabled woman whose car was stranded on a North Carolina highway because she had a Bernie Sanders bumper sticker.

Ken Shupe of Shupee Max Towing, based in Traveler's Rest, S.C., said "something came over" him Monday when he saw the bumper sticker supporting the Democratic presidential contender on the back of Cassy McWade's car, which was stranded after a crash on Interstate 26 in Asheville, N.C.


"Something came over me, I think the Lord came to me, and he just said get in the truck and leave," Shupe told WLOS-TV. "And when I got in my truck, you know, I was so proud, because I felt like I finally drew a line in the sand and stood up for what I believed."

Shupe, who supports presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, told WHNS-TV he told the woman "very politely" that he couldn't tow her car because she was "obviously a socialist" and should "call the government" to tow her car.

"Every business dealing in recent history with a socialist-minded person I have not gotten paid," Shupe said. "Every time I deal with these people I get 'Berned' -- with an 'e' not a 'u.'"

McWade, 25, said she was shocked by Shupe's actions.

"He goes around back and comes back and says 'I can't tow you.' My first instinct was there must be something wrong with the car," McWade said. "And he says, 'No, you're a Bernie supporter.' And I was like wait, really? And he says, 'Yes ma'am,' and just walks away."

"I personally don't believe that you don't have to agree on anything just to be kind to one another," McWade said. "I was like, what did I do to you? You know, I do believe I try to do right by people. So I was offended, and I don't know what exactly he thinks I would have done to him directly by being a believer in Bernie."

McWade, who suffers from psoriatic arthritis, fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and early-stage Crohns, said her disabled placard was clearly displayed during her encounter with Shupe.

Shupe said he didn't know McWade was disabled, a claim her mother, Kelle McWade, disputed in a Facebook post.

"Make no mistake that Ken Shupe is a bald-faced liar. He also lied about not knowing that she was disabled. Her placard was hanging in the car the whole time, and our mechanic told him that was the whole reason he asked him to go in the first place," she wrote.