GORDO, Ala. — A Columbus councilman pleaded guilty Tuesday in municipal court to driving under the influence and marijuana possession related to a traffic stop in December.
The court levied Ward 4 Councilman Pierre Beard $2,191 in fines for the misdemeanor counts, Gordo Police Chief Johnny Stephenson told The Dispatch. The judge also ordered Beard to serve two years probation and comply with the court referral system.
Through court referral, Beard must submit to an evaluation that will determine whether he needs to enter a drug addiction treatment program, Stephenson said. For at least a year after that, Beard must check in with the court monthly. During these check-ins he can be drug tested at the court’s discretion.
Gordo police arrested Beard Dec. 1 for driving under the influence (alcohol), possession of marijuana-second offense, possession of drug paraphernalia-first offense and illegal alcohol, all misdemeanors.
Beard was pulled over for not having a tag on his vehicle. Officers reportedly saw an open container of alcohol in the car, and the traffic stop escalated.
The councilman’s passenger, Quavis Shawnterris Betts, was also arrested and charged with public intoxication, possession of marijuana-second offense, possession of drug paraphernalia-first offense and illegal alcohol. Betts pleaded guilty to marijuana possession and was sentenced to two years probation.
Beard asked for a continuance during his first appearance May 7 so he would have more time to hire an attorney, Stephenson said. The judge advised Beard it would be the only delay granted in the case.
Still, Beard arrived to court Tuesday without an attorney and asked for another continuance, Stephenson said. The judge denied the request, and Beard opted to plead guilty.
In a text to The Dispatch on Wednesday, Beard maintained his innocence but said he is relieved to have the matter behind him.
“The whole incident was frustrating, and it took a toll on me and my family,” Beard wrote. “After being wrongfully detained and arrested, I paid a cash bond of $2,500 to get out of jail for a crime I didn’t commit. I returned home to be vilified and bullied in the press and on social media. So it wasn’t a hard decision for me … to accept their deal and plead guilty. I do not have $10,000 to pay an attorney to fight a case that’s already stacked against me, and I do not want the case to continue to be a distraction to the work being accomplished in Ward 4.”
Betts pleaded guilty to marijuana possession in the Gordo case and was sentenced to two years probation.
Beard’s connection to Betts has caused the councilman other legal trouble as well.
Betts has been indicted in Lowndes County for a pair of 2023 armed robberies outside Waffle House in Columbus. Beard is seen with Betts in surveillance footage of the robberies — apparently trying to stop him — and police later arrested Betts at a hotel room booked in Beard’s name.
Beard was convicted March 12 in Lowndes County Justice Court in a separate case for possession of marijuana and possession of a controlled substance, in this case one dosage unit of ecstasy, both of which are misdemeanors.
Those 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.
Beard was fined $1,168 in that case. Justice Court Clerk Carley Estes told The Dispatch on Wednesday that Beard is making payments toward that fine.
Beard was first elected to the Columbus city council in a 2019 special election to fill the term of former councilman Fred Jackson, who resigned his position. In 2021, he was reelected to a full four-year term.
Zack Plair is the managing editor for The Dispatch.
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