UNITED STATES−On Tuesday, June 22, Representative Will Dismukes was indicted by a jury in Montgomery, Alabama for theft of property, a class B felony.

According to the indictment, Dismukes is accused of stealing $2,500 worth of flooring material and other construction materials from a former employer, Weiss Flooring Inc. in East Montgomery prior to serving in public office as a congressman in Prattville.

According to Montgomery County District Attorney Daryl D. Bailey,
Democrat and Republicans are vying for Senate and Congressional seats in upcoming elections to claim the majority in House and Senate.  Republican Richard Shelby recently vacated his seat.

Dismukes told reporters “We feel really good moving forward and we know my innocence will come to light in the trial.” He told WSFA 12 reporters that he would not vacate his seat. “I will not be resigning from my House seat because I have done nothing wrong.”

He made headlines in July 2020, with social media posts touting his attendance at the Fort Dixie event and giving invocation for Nathan Bedford Forrest.

According to American Battlefield, Nathan Bedford Forrest, “was one of the most polarizing figures of the Civil War era.” He was a Confederate General, and the first Grand Wizard of the Klu Klux Klan.

 

The College Republican Federation accepted the resignation of Dismukes on July 27, 2020. In the summer of 1862, Forrest earned him the nickname, “the wizard of the saddle.” Following the Civil War, Forrest and a group of men, the majority of which comprised of veteran confederate soldiers founded the Klu Klux Klan. Forrest served as Grand Wizard until ordering the dissolution of the organization in 1869. Reports as recent as June 2021 indicate that chapters of the KKK are still in operation.

The Real Gospel Spotlight made the following announcement on August 2, 2020, regarding the resignation of Pastor Will Dismukes:

“A Bivocational Southern Baptist Pastor resigned from the Church following backlash resulting from his participation in an annual birthday celebration for Nathan Bedford Forrest, a leader in the Confederate Army and the first Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan. Will Dismukes, who is also a first-term Republican state representative, resigned from his position at Pleasant Hill Baptist Church after a deacons’ meeting. Four days earlier, he gave the invocation on July 25 at the birthday celebration for Forrest. The event was held in Selma, Alabama, on the same day as ceremonies honoring the late U.S. Rep.
John Lewis.”