Name: Alabama state Rep. Will Dismukes faces felony theft charge
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Alabama state Rep. Will Dismukes faces felony theft charge

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Montgomery AdvertiserView CommentsFacing a first-degree theft charge, Alabama Rep. Will Dismukes, R-Prattville, turned himself in to authorities on Thursday evening.The charge comes less than two weeks after the freshman legislator ignited &nbsp;for publicly celebrating the birthday of&nbsp;a Ku Klux Klan leader.&nbsp;Montgomery authorities on Thursday issued an arrest warrant for Dismukes related to the theft, which District Attorney Daryl Bailey said occurred between 2016 and 2018 from Dismukes' then-employer. Bailey's office received a complaint about the theft on May 20."After countless hours of investigation, which consisted of witness interviews, obtaining bank records, and gathering other evidence a decision was made by myself and other prosecutors in my office along with these investigators that probable cause existed that a crime had been committed," Bailey said.&nbsp;Though Montgomery County Jail records initially indicated Dismukes was booked mid-afternoon on Thursday, the freshman legislator actually turned himself in shortly after 7 p.m. He declined to comment or answer any questions as he walked into the jail.&nbsp;Trey Norman, Dismukes' attorney, said the legislator had a meeting with the DA's office this week."We had a two-hour meeting, and we thought it was a good meeting," he said. "Will cooperated fully. Then we don't hear anything until the press conference Thursday afternoon. I haven't seen any discovery yet, but it appears this is a matter best solved in a civil courtroom. Why the delay? This was a matter from four years ago."Normal questioned the timing of the press conference and charge.&nbsp;"Nothing passes the smell test on this; the delay, the investigation, the press conference, the not taking the case to a grand jury first," Norman said.&nbsp;"Nothing passes the smell test."The charge stems from an alleged theft at Weiss Flooring, where Dismukes was an employee.Weiss, a flooring contractor located in Montgomery, declined to comment on Thursday afternoon.&nbsp;It's unclear&nbsp;in what capacity Weiss employed Dismukes or when he may have left the company. The legislator has recently listed his employment as president of Custom Floor Covering, based in Elmore, Alabama, in addition to his now former job as a pastor at a local church.&nbsp;Per Alabama business records, Dismukes established Custom Floor in December 2017.&nbsp;The amount allegedly stolen exceeded $2,500, per the statute Dismukes is charged under, but "the alleged amount was a lot more than that," Bailey said.&nbsp;At the press conference, Bailey said he is limited on providing further details.&nbsp;Dismukes is in his first term. If Dismukes is convicted of the felony charge, he would automatically vacate his House seat. Former House Speaker Mike Hubbard, R-Auburn, lost his seat after being convicted on felony ethics charges in 2016.Dismukes in recent weeks has faced numerous calls for his resignation following his appearance at a birthday celebration for a noted Ku Klux Klan leader.More:The&nbsp;freshman representative&nbsp;delivered an invocation at what was described as a birthday celebration for Nathan Bedford Forrest on July 25. Forrest was a slave trader, a prominent leader in the KKK and a Confederate general who oversaw the Fort Pillow Massacre in Tennessee in 1864.&nbsp;In the Facebook post, which was initially public, Dismukes wrote that he “had a great time at Fort Dixie speaking and giving the invocation for Nathan Bedford Forrest (sic) annual birthday celebration. Always a great time and some sure enough good eating!!”The event was held on Saturday, July 25, the same day celebration of life ceremonies for Alabama native and civil rights icon U.S. Rep. John Lewis were ongoing in the state.&nbsp;Photos included with the post show Dismukes standing behind the four flags of the Confederacy, a white supremacist government. The event was held at Fort Dixie, the home of Butch and Pat Godwin, in Sardis, Alabama.&nbsp;The Southern Poverty Law Center&nbsp;identifies Pat Godwin&nbsp;as the author of an Internet essay calling the Selma-to-Montgomery marches “the mother of all orgies,” a line of attack on the march similar to the one used by Alabama’s segregationist politicians of the time.&nbsp;More:Dismukes later made a statement saying his appearance at the Bedford celebration wasn't intended to disrespect Lewis, who he misidentified as a U.S. Senator. But&nbsp;Alabama Republican Party Chairwoman Terry Lathan said she found "his statement to be shallow in understanding why his activities are deeply offensive to so many Alabamians."The Prattville native has so far refused calls, some from within his own party, to step down from his seat, even as he resigned his pastor position at a local church days after the appearance.&nbsp;Republican leaders in the House&nbsp;distanced themselves from Dismukes' comments but said his future would be decided by his constituents.More:One of those constituents — Sen. Clyde Chambliss, R-Prattville — called for Dismukes to resign, writing in a Facebook post that "the real problem is that an elected official in 2020 would attend a celebration of the life of someone that led a group that terrorized and killed other human beings."Though public furor subsided somewhat following Dismukes' church resignation, Rep. Chris England, D-Tuscaloosa and chairman of the Alabama Democratic Party, continued his call for Dismukes' resignation as recently as Tuesday.&nbsp;"I’m not going to let this go and you shouldn’t either," England said in a statement on social media. "Alabama can not continue to let the past suffocate the future. He needs to resign."In a statement on Thursday afternoon, Republican Party Chairwoman Lathan called the theft allegations "disappointing.""We expect our elected officials, regardless of Party, to follow the laws of our state and nation," Lathan wrote on Twitter.&nbsp;"No one is immune to these standards. It is very disappointing to hear of these allegations. This is now a legal matter and it must run its course."Updated at 7:30 p.m. to reflect Dismukes turned himself in Thursday evening, not Thursday afternoon. County jail booking records incorrectly stated Dismukes had been booked around 3:30 p.m.&nbsp;Reporter Marty Roney contributed to this report.Contact Montgomery Advertiser reporter Melissa Brown&nbsp;at 334-240-0132&nbsp;or mabrown@gannett.com.View Comments

Montgomery AdvertiserView CommentsFacing a first-degree theft charge, Alabama Rep. Will Dismukes, R-Prattville, turned himself in to authorities on Thursday evening.The charge comes less than two weeks after the freshman legislator ignited &nbsp;for publicly celebrating the birthday of&nbsp;a Ku Klux Klan leader.&nbsp;Montgomery authorities on Thursday issued an arrest warrant for Dismukes related to the theft, which District Attorney Daryl Bailey said occurred between 2016 and 2018 from Dismukes' then-employer. Bailey's office received a complaint about the theft on May 20."After countless...

Alabama state Rep. Will Dismukes faces felony theft charge

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