A Columbus councilman was arrested Monday after Lowndes County sheriff’s deputies allegedly found drugs at his home.
Pierre Beard, 35, is charged with a count each of possession of methamphetamine and possession of marijuana, both misdemeanor amounts.
“You need two dosage units (of meth) for it to be a felony,” Sheriff Eddie Hawkins said. “We only found one.”
It’s Beard’s second arrest this month, the first being a Dec. 1 traffic stop in Gordo, Alabama, where he was charged with drunk driving and marijuana possession. Both times, he was arrested alongside Quavis Betts, 29.
A grand jury indicted Betts for two counts of armed robbery June 25 outside the Waffle House on Highway 45, Hawkins said. Deputies served the warrant on Betts’ indictment Monday and arrested him at Beard’s home on Waterworks Road.
While there, Hawkins said, deputies smelled marijuana in the residence and obtained a search warrant. Inside, they found Beard in possession of the drugs, he said.
Both Beard and Betts were still in Lowndes County Adult Detention Center as of press time Monday.
Betts is accused of robbing victims in two vehicles at gunpoint outside the Waffle House. Beard is seen in surveillance footage interacting with Betts around the time of the robberies, and police arrested Betts as he was entering a hotel room booked in Beard’s name.
While Police Chief Joseph Daughtry said Beard’s involvement in the robberies would be presented to a grand jury, Hawkins said Monday the councilman has not been indicted.
Beard, who represents Ward 4, has served on the council since 2019.
Zack Plair is the managing editor for The Dispatch.
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