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A jury found former state representative Will Dismukes of Prattville guilty of first-degree theft of property Friday following a five-day trial.
The jury also found Dismukes guilty of two “aggravators” that will give Circuit Judge Brooke E. Reid the ability to sentence Dismukes to prison up to the maximum limit of 20 years.
Under Alabama’s presumptive sentencing guidelines, Dismukes would not have been eligible for a prison recommendation; he could only have been sentenced to less than two years in county jail, probation or community corrections.
However, because the jury found that the state had proved the two aggravators, Reid no longer has to base the sentence on those guidelines.
“I still stand behind my innocence,” Dismukes told APR following the verdict.
Adam Whitley, president of Weiss Commercial Flooring, thanked the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office for its work in bringing the case to justice.
“I’d like to thank (lead prosecutor) Sherri Mazur, investigator Andrew Magnus and co-counsel Ahmaud Smith and John Phillips for their amazing work in bringing justice to this criminal,” Whitley said. “I’m just glad after all these years of waiting we can seek justice and move past this and continue with business.”
Reid has set the sentencing hearing for Dismukes tentatively for May 4 while the court awaits completion of a pre-sentencing investigation.
The jury found that Dismukes stole some amount of currency and/or physical property from his employer Weiss Commercial Flooring between mid-2016 and the end of 2017. The total amount stolen isn’t clear; numbers of $32,000; $44,000; $60,000; and $80,000 have all been floated out as investigators dug through bank records, pay applications and checks, and tax documents.
More information will be added to this story.
