Huntsville AL August 23 2023  Huntsville District 1 Councilman Devyn Keith has pleaded guilty to two of the four shoplifting charges he was facing on Tuesday and has been banned from all Walmart stores.

Keith, a two-term District 1 council member, was charged after allegedly stealing items from Walmart stores, according to the Madison County Sheriff’s Office.

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According to News 19’s Emily Moessner, the other two theft charges against Keith were dropped. He was sentenced to 90 days suspended concurrent with two years of probation, and 180 days suspended on the other charge along with 50 hours of community service.

Keith was arrested and charged with fourth-degree theft on February 2, for allegedly shoplifting at a Walmart on University Drive.

He was first elected to the Huntsville City Council in October 2016 and was re-elected in 2020. It’s not immediately clear how or if this will affect Keith’s future on the council.

Additional charges were filed against Keith, citing three alleged thefts dating back to 2022. The Huntsville City Attorney’s office also said it was not pursuing the Feb. 2 charge in Huntsville Municipal Court. Instead, that charge was included in the list of warrants to be heard by a Madison County District Court.

Keith turned himself in for the three additional warrants on Feb. 8., but pleaded not guilty in March 2023.

Keith read from a three-page statement following Tuesday’s hearing. That statement said in part, “Now, the agreement that was reached today acknowledges that I was negligent, and I was careless in scanning items, and that, in fact, makes me wrong. Therefore, because I was wrong, from the beginning, I expressed to the State that I would pay full restitution for those items including, additional fees.”

But Madison County Chief Deputy District Attorney Tim Gann said the charges Keith pleaded guilty to are not based on negligence.

“He pled to theft of property in the fourth degree which is an intentional act of stealing property,” Gann told News 19. “If it had been negligent or careless the judge would not have been able to take the plea because it would have not fit the charge.”

Keith’s statement also noted that two of the charges were dropped based on evidence that he didn’t steal the items.

“The agreement also acknowledges that two of the charge were dropped. My lawyer and I were able to review the evidence, and I was able to provide my lawyer with bank statements that contested the allegations. In some instances, we could show video that I simply just didn’t take the alleged stolen items.”

But Gann said the dropped charges were a part of the plea negotiation, not based on a lack of evidence.

“All of the charges were very good, it was just part of the plea agreement, it’s part of the negotiations that we do with lawyers, but those were valid charges,” Gann said.

Below is Keith’s “official statement regarding shoplifting trial” in full:

Thank you to my family, my friends, and my community. I’m so grateful for you. Through this very tough time, you all have not only been a tremendous blessing in my life: praying for me, sowing wisdom and love into me, but you’ve kept me going. Some days by inspiring me to keep moving forward and other days you just picked me up and carried me. I’d also like to thank my legal counsel for guiding me through this process, and also the many, many others who took the opportunity to be kind, to encourage me, to call, or write. Thank you all.

I have had 6 months to gather my thoughts and attempt to write the correct words for this moment. I’ve written and erased many words, many times, but my heart consistently seems to reflect one thing, growth.

My entire life I have believed in accountability. To fight for the fair share of all. I brought that perspective to City Council, and even through this entire ordeal I have never moved from that position. Accountability is important to me. I have nothing but respect towards the State and Walmart representatives.

Now, the agreement that was reached today acknowledges that I was negligent, and I was careless in scanning items, and that, in fact, makes me wrong. Therefore, because I was wrong, from the beginning, I expressed to the State that I would pay full restitution for those items including, additional fees. I have even offered to do more community hours than what was given by the State, because I believe deeply in accountability. The agreement also acknowledges that two of the charge were dropped. My lawyer and I were able to review the evidence, and I was able to provide my lawyer with bank statements that contested the allegations. In some instances, we could show video that I simply just didn’t take the alleged stolen items.

Nevertheless, the agreement does hold me accountable for my negligence in the past year.

A failure to scan items such as skittles, butterfingers, and $20 dollar headphones, if I didn’t pay for an item, I am wrong. It was never my intent to not scan these items.

I can’t express enough that I do understand the gravity of this moment. Throughout these past 6 months, I have received extremely hateful emails and letters. I have been called every name in the book of racial slurs. In February, there was wall-to-wall coverage of the allegations against me every night on every local channel for two weeks straight. It was printed in a New York City tabloid and covered by political commentators all the way from California.

I mention this to really illustrate that I deeply understand the responsibility that comes with being a public official, in as much as the blessing it is to represent the best people on this side of heaven.

Yes, I stand here today as an individual, but people care about this case because of my position as a City Councilman. In some professions, you get to go home and take off the uniform, but as an elected public servant, I don’t get to do that. When I go to the store, I’m Councilman Devyn Keith. When I’m at church, I’m Councilman Devyn Keith. I’ve often found that even at my home, I’m still living the role of public servant. However, that’s not a burden, that’s a privilege. A privilege that I will never again take lightly.

The care, the attention to detail, the mindfulness, the character, the good judgment, and the integrity that by God’s grace I have fought to bring to City Hall for the past 7 years, it must extend everywhere that I go and all that I do. I promise that moving forward it will.

Lastly, I would like to reiterate an apology to my family, my friends, my district, and my city. I have spoken to so many of you privately, but publicly I’d like to apologize again for any negative attention my actions have brought. You all are wonderful, and doing amazing things for this city, and I don’t ever again want to do anything that takes the spotlight off of you and puts the focus onto me.

While this moment does not define me, I have learned from it.

I am wiser and better because of it, I have grown. As I have stated before, I am a better man today than I was on February 2nd, 2023. Though my public growth comes with public growing pains, I believe the lessons that I am learning will far outweigh the trials I have had to endure to receive them.

Again, I apologize but moreover, I’m grateful. God bless you, God bless Huntsville, Alabama.

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