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The Madison County District Attorney’s Office pushed back Wednesday on recent claims made by Huntsville City Councilman Devyn Keith in which he denied stealing several items from Huntsville-area Walmart stores.
Keith pleaded guilty in August 2023 to two of the four theft charges he faced for allegedly stealing 31 different items from Walmart stores on four different occasions, according to court records. Keith is currently in a runoff, and facing an uphill battle to hold his council seat, against school board member Michell Watkins.
In an effort to lure voters, Keith recently held an “Honesty Hour” at a local church, during which he showed alleged surveillance video from Walmart, which Keith said proved he didn’t steal one of the items – a “crewneck shirt” – for which he was accused. Asked by WAFF-TV if he was now claiming that he didn’t steal 31 items, Keith said, “Correct. What you saw today gives that proof.”
Keith admitted in the interview only to stealing a pair of $22 headphones, calling it “a lapse in judgment.”
However, Tim Gann, the chief deputy of the Madison County District Attorney’s Office, said the actual evidence filed in the case, along with Keith’s plea deal, tells another story.
“If you simply look at the restitution portion of the plea agreement – where he agrees to reimburse Walmart for every item – you can see the total is for much more than headphones,” Gann said. “The plea deal is a standard deal that we make all the time, because it doesn’t matter if we charge someone with two counts or four in a case like this. The punishment would be the same.”
According to those court records, Keith was charged with four separate counts of theft for four different incidents occurring between Nov. 14, 2022, and Feb. 2, 2023. The charging documents show he was accused of stealing “grocery and sundry items” on three occasions, for amounts totaling $169.58, $129.28 and $169.60. He was arrested following the fourth alleged theft in February, in which he stole headphones valued at $22.67.
In his plea agreement to settle the charges, Keith agreed to pay $464.31 for restitution for the items.
“Those documents tell the story,” Gann said. “It’s that simple.”
A message left on a cell phone listed for Gann was not returned and efforts to reach him on Wednesday were unsuccessful.
