Huntsville city councilman Devyn Keith claims his recent shoplifting arrest was due to failure to pay for a $20 pair of headphones at self-checkout.
Huntsville Police arrested Keith Thursday afternoon and charged him with fourth-degree theft of property.
In a Facebook post, Keith expressed his disappointment with the incident and offered an explanation.
"Yesterday, after purchasing items at the self-checkout at Walmart, I left the store with a 20$ pair of headphones in my cart that I failed to pay for," Keith wrote. "I respect the professionalism of the Walmart staff and law enforcement officers involved with this matter."
Keith did not clearly state if leaving with the headphones was intentional or resulted from absentmindedness.
"I can't express how grateful I am to have family, friends, and loved ones that have supported me, but I have to be accountable," he wrote. "No one is above the law, and as someone who works for and aspires to devotedly represent the best of the people of Huntsville, I can't make these type of mistakes. I know I am better than this."
Keith has been a council member since 2016, representing District 1. He received national notoriety in 2017 after claiming he was denied service at a Huntsville restaurant for dining with a professional baseball player who knelt during the national anthem.
He later clarified his story to say that the waiter "did not give the level of service needed for us to enjoy our time" before getting another waitress.
Both the waiter and the restaurant manager denied Keith's version of events, calling it "an absolute lie."
To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email craig.monger@1819news.com.
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