By Scott Wright

CEDAR BLUFF — In a plea agreement filed in U.S. District Court earlier this month and obtained by The Post on Wednesday, Town Manager Rickey L. Steele describes in detail how the town's late mayor sold firearms confiscated by the Cedar Bluff Police Department to former County Commissioner Harold Woodall.

In a 13-page document filed on Aug. 4 in Birmingham, Steele also admitted to FBI investigators that he lied to them on two occasions about what happened to the weapons. Steele is set to appear before a federal judge in mid-September to officially admit his guilt on one count of violating Title 18, United States Code, Section 1001, which concerns lying to federal agents.

In a section of the document beneath the heading “Factual Basis: The following is a true and correct summary of the factual basis of the offense,” Steele told the FBI he was aware that Davis, the former mayor who died in June, sold guns confiscated by the Cedar Bluff Police Department to Woodall in 2003. Steele also admitted giving false statements on two other occasions.

According to the document, during an initial interview with federal investigators on Jan. 27, 2005, Steele “denied knowing anything about guns.”

When interviewed on March 11, Steele admitted he had “become aware” of guns missing from the Cedar Bluff Police Department. Steele said he was not aware of any guns being removed from the evidence room to be sold. He did tell investigators he knew that Davis had removed some old guns to be “thrown out.” He also said Davis told him several other guns were missing.

“A local drug dealer who was deceased might have stolen the missing guns,” Davis told Steele at the time of their conversation, Steele recounted.

The feds eventually approached Steele a third time, on April 11. After being reminded that any false statements he gave could carry a criminal penalty, Steele admitted he had lied to the agents in January and March.

The document says Steele told them he “got caught up in something.”

Steele went on to reveal that two years ago, he was aware of confiscated guns being removed from the police evidence room and placed in Davis's office in the Town Hall. Steele said that on one occasion he saw “approximately 20 long guns sticking out of a white burlap, duffle-type bag” being carried into Davis's office.

A few days after seeing the rifles and shotguns in Davis's office, Steele said he watched as former Cherokee County Commissioner Harold Woodall purchased the guns from Davis. Steele said the mayor then asked him to load the guns into Woodall's vehicle and place an envelope containing $1,000 in the office safe.

A source who spoke on condition of anonymity was adamant that Davis did not personally profit from the sale of the guns.

“That money went into the petty cash fund and was ultimately used by the town for various things,” the source told The Post. “Bob Davis did not keep a dime of that money.”

FBI Special Agent Jeff Fuqua of the Birmingham Field Office agreed to speak with The Post on the record Thursday afternoon. He confirmed that the Bureau has information indicating that “at least some of the alleged funds were deposited into the town's petty cash fund.”

Also during his third interview with investigators, Steele said that after they had each been visited by federal agents, he and Davis spoke privately about the guns.

According to Steele's testimony, Davis said: “Rickey, they got me on those guns. I'm going to plead guilty. I've already lied to them. Maybe I can help myself by coming clean.”

However, a few days later, Steele said, Davis approached him again and said he had changed his mind about being truthful for fear that Woodall would get into “more trouble” if Davis pleaded guilty and revealed “that Woodall had bought the guns.”

“All I have to do is create reasonable doubt,” Davis said, according to Steele. Steele said Davis also told him it might be possible to make it appear that a local drug dealer had stolen the guns from the police department's evidence room.

Amid rumors of a pending federal indictment, Davis resigned from office on May 11, saying he had “made a mistake that has come back to haunt me.” He died of a heart attack June 8 before any charges were filed against him.

Special Agent Fuqua said the FBI has determined that at least one of the guns sold by Davis was subsequently used in an armed robbery in Mississippi.

At the end of the portion of the plea agreement labeled “Factual Basis,” Steele signed his name to indicate he agreed with the accuracy of his story detailing what happened to the guns. The document was also signed by his attorney, Michael P. Hanle, and Assistant United States Attorney J. Patrick Meadows.

Woodall, the former Dist. 4 commissioner, resigned Feb. 10 after he was convicted in federal court of accepting two $500 bribes from Centre insurance agent Michael "Mack" Tillery and Gadsden agent James "Fleck" Williams in exchange for influencing other members of the County Commission to maintain overpriced insurance policies with a company owned by Williams. Woodall was also charged with three counts of lying to federal agents. He is currently serving a sentence of three years, five months in federal prison.

A spokesperson from U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama Alice Martin's office, citing the “ongoing nature” of the investigation, would not comment on whether additional charges may be filed against Woodall.

A call to Woodall's attorney was not returned by press time.

Steele is likely to be sentenced in December. According to the plea agreement, prosecutors from Martin's office have recommended that Steele receive “credit for acceptance of responsibility and be sentenced at the low end of the guideline range.”

Reached by phone at his office in the Cedar Bluff Town Hall, Steele declined comment for this article.

Steele's attorney, Michael Hanle, released the following Friday afternoon on his client's behalf: "Mr. Steele regrets the actions that have brought about his current situation. He wishes to offer apologies to the town of Cedar Bluff, its citizens, his friends and his family. Mr. Steele has accepted responsibility for his actions and will be proceeding over the next few months with the appropriate actions in federal court.

Hanle continued: "Additionally, Mr. Steele intends to offer his resignation as town manager as part of a negotiated settlement he has entered into with the federal government."