Alabama lawmaker indicted for allegedly stealing from former employer

Published 2:34 pm Saturday, June 26, 2021

Alabama state Rep. Will Dismukes has been indicted on a theft charge after his former employer accused him of stealing.

Court records show that a grand jury returned the indictment this week. The accusation first arose last year when an arrest warrant was filed against Dismukes.

The indictment accuses Dismukes of taking property valued at over $2,500 from his former employer, Weiss Flooring. The company had contacted the district attorney last year.

“We felt from the beginning that this case was more suited to be heard in civil court,” Dismukes’ attorney Trey Norman told the Montgomery Advertiser. “This is not a criminal matter. I look forward to defending Will.”

Dismukes started his own flooring business after leaving Weiss.

“I feel really good about it,” Dismukes told the newspaper about his pending case. “I feel when we tell our side I’ll be exonerated.”

Dismukes is a Republican legislator from Prattville who last year faced calls for his resignation after participating in a celebration marking the birthday of Nathan Bedford Forrest — the Confederate general who was also an early Ku Klux Klan leader.

Dismukes attended a gathering and posted a photo from the event on his Facebook page. The photo showed Dismukes speaking in front of several Confederate flags.

“Had a great time at Fort Dixie speaking and giving the invocation for Nathan Bedford Forrest annual birthday celebration. Always a great time and some sure enough good eating!!” the Republican state House member wrote in a post no longer visible on his public page.