The bizarre tale of Dale Peterson — internet legend, convicted thief, candidate

The Alabama State Auditor performs an important but little known job for Alabama taxpayers. The Auditor’s website says that the office “is responsible and accountable for all state personal property.” In addition to that, “the office is charged to perform an audit of the equipment in each State Agency every two years.”

According to Alabama’s current State Auditor, Samantha Shaw, her goal since taking office in 2006 has been to keep “accurate records of all personal property valued at $500 and above as well as items deemed sensitive in nature.”

In short, the Alabama State Auditor oversees what the State of Alabama owns — items that have been purchased by the taxpayers.

Here are just a few examples of the property the Auditor’s office is charged with keeping track of:

The State’s computers

The State’s fleet of vehicles

The State’s heavy equipment

Needless to say, the Auditor’s job is one that must be performed by someone with impeccable character, someone the taxpayers can trust to be their watchdog and make sure the state’s property is all accounted for.

Enter Dale Peterson, who qualified to run for State Auditor just before the deadline this past Friday, Feb. 7.

Peterson is the horse-ridin’, gun-totin’ Republican who became internet famous during his ill-fated 2010 campaign for Alabama Agriculture Commissioner. Early on in the race, one of his campaign videos went viral on YouTube. In the video, Peterson warned of “thugs and criminals” who “don’t give a rip about Alabama,” and called out his opponents for “stealing yard signs in the dead of night.”

Flash forward a couple of years to Oct. 15, 2012. At 4:45 p.m. that day, in an ironic twist, Peterson was arrested at a Wal-Mart in Hoover, Ala. for stealing two cases of beer and a pack of paper towels.

According to documents filed in Hoover Municipal Court, a Wal-Mart employee “observed Roger Dale Peterson Select the beer and paper towels and place both items in his cart. Peterson then passed all points of purchase and made no attempt to pay for the merchandise in his cart. Peterson was apprehended and the merchandise was recovered.”

Peterson was charged with Theft of Property in the Third Degree, a Class A misdemeanor.

Dale Peterson's mugshot — Dale Peterson’s mugshot, Oct. 15, 2012

Flash forward again to March 27, 2013. Peterson was arrested once more, this time for stealing a container of cashews from Sam’s Club in Hoover, Ala.

According to documents filed in Hoover Municipal Court, a Sam’s club employee “observed Rodger Peterson select the above merchandise. Mr. Peterson then opened the merchandise and started eating the cashews. Mr. Peterson continued to walk around Sam’s club eating the cashews. Mr. Peterson then placed the merchandise back on the shelf. Mr. Peterson then proceeded to the register where he purchased other items but failed to pay for the merchandise he ate. Mr. Peterson then exited the store where he was approached by Mr. Heaton. Mr. Peterson made a verbal statement to Mr. Heaton that he messed up and should have paid for the cashews.”

Peterson was once again charged with Theft of Property in the Third Degree.

But the second time was a little different. Yellowhammer was the first to break the news of Peterson’s arrest, sending him into a bizarre Twitter tirade of conspiracy theories that seemed to include the suggestion that we somehow set him up.

Sometimes there are coincidences. Sometime there are conspiracies. And sometimes there are just facts. #SomethingAintRight

— Dale Peterson (@Dale_Peterson) March 28, 2013

How, exactly, did @YHPolitics know about my day & my handful of cashews before my wife did?

— Dale Peterson (@Dale_Peterson) March 28, 2013

@SBlakeHarris , when @YHPolitics is determined to make you out to be a thug & criminal, all questions are pressing. (Consider the source)

— Dale Peterson (@Dale_Peterson) March 28, 2013

Flash forward one final time to Nov. 20, 2013. Rodger Dale Peterson was convicted in Hoover municipal court of Theft in the Third Degree in both of the cases outlined above. The judge ordered Peterson to pay a fine of $1,000 for each conviction, as well as court costs and restitution of $48.50 to Wal-Mart (the cost of the beer) and $13.48 to Sam’s Club (the cost of the cashews). Each conviction also carried a sentence of 180 days in jail.

On Dec. 3, 2013, Peterson gave notice to the court that he was appealing the ruling. He is currently set for a jury trial on May 5, 2014.

So to summarize, Dale Peterson, a convicted thief, is currently running for the office of State Auditor, whose sole job is to keep track of what the state owns; and his appeal is scheduled to be heard by a jury almost exactly one month before primary election day.