By Paul Gattis
Huntsville City Councilman Devyn Keith on Monday entered a formal plea of not guilty to four misdemeanor shoplifting charges.
Keith’s attorney, John Taylor, entered the plea in a filing in Madison County district court. Keith was scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday but that appearance has been canceled with the entering of the plea, according to an order Monday from District Judge Patricia Demos.
Keith’s plea confirms what he told AL.com almost three weeks ago that he would be pleading not guilty.
Keith was arrested Feb. 2 on one shoplifting charge at the Walmart on University Drive in west Huntsville. On Feb. 8, he turned himself in to law enforcement just after midnight after arrest warrants were issued on additional shoplifting charges.
He is facing four charges that he stole $491.13 in merchandise from three different Walmarts in Huntsville.
Keith, in his second term on the city council, has continued to serve since his arrests. Council President John Meredith removed Keith as chair of the council’s finance committee after the arrests, declining to give a reason for the decision. Keith said he believed being removed as finance chair was a consequence of his arrests.
The council also pushed back on Keith’s travel request for a council-related trip to Washington, leading Keith to lash out at his colleagues.
“I have not even gone to court,” Keith said after the Feb. 23 council meeting. “I pled not guilty. And I am being excommunicated.”
At last week’s meeting, Keith appeared more contrite and said he respected the majority decision of the council even if he didn’t necessarily agree with it. He also withdrew from consideration a second request for travel funding for the Washington trip.
