GORDO, Ala. — Ward 4 Councilman Pierre Beard’s day in court in Gordo has been kicked a little further down the road.
Beard was set to appear in Gordo Municipal Court before Judge Hallie Leavell Tuesday evening in connection with charges stemming from his Dec. 1 arrest. The charges, which included driving under the influence (alcohol), possession of marijuana second offense, possession of drug paraphernalia first offense and illegal alcohol, are all misdemeanors.
Gordo Police Chief Johnny Stephenson told The Dispatch Wednesday morning that Beard came to his court appearance Tuesday, but asked for a trial rather than settling his charges then and there.
A trial date was set for May 7, Stephenson said.
Beard, along with Waffle House armed robbery suspect Qvaris Shawnterris Betts, were traveling through Gordo on Dec. 1 when they were pulled over by the Gordo Police Department for allegedly not having a tag. Officers reportedly saw an open container of alcohol in the car, and the traffic stop escalated at that point.
Both men were arrested. Betts was charged with public intoxication, possession of marijuana (second offense), possession of drug paraphernalia (first offense) and illegal alcohol.
Beard was originally set to appear in court in February, but asked for a continuance, leading to Tuesday’s date.
Beard’s other brushes with the law
Beard was arrested on March 12 by Lowndes County Constable Chris Griffin as he was leaving a special council meeting at City Hall. A warrant had been issued for delinquent fines owed on a ticket for driving with no insurance.
Later that day, he was found guilty of possession of marijuana and possession of a controlled substance, in this case one dosage unit of ecstasy, both of which are misdemeanors. He was fined $1,168.
The charges stemmed from a Dec. 11 arrest after Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office deputies entered his home to arrest Betts, who had just been indicted by a grand jury for the Waffle House incident, and found the drugs.
In November 2021, Beard was arrested and charged with misdemeanor domestic violence. Those charges were later dropped.
In January 2021, Beard was charged with misdemeanor possession of marijuana, for which he issued a public apology.
Brian Jones is the local government reporter for Columbus and Lowndes County.
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