While allegedly driving intoxicated, without a tag on his car, in possession of weed and drug paraphernalia and with a man twice charged for robbery in the passenger seat, Pierre Beard allegedly tried to use his city council seat to leverage control over a law enforcement officer.
Qvaris Shawnterris Betts, 29, the lead suspect in a pair of June armed robberies outside the Waffle House, was in the car with him.
Gordo Police Chief Johnny Stephenson told The Dispatch Tuesday morning Beard, who represents Ward 4, was pulled over on Friday along Highway 82 West for not having a tag. When the officer approached him, Beard allegedly flexed his position with the city of Columbus.
“The first thing Mr. Beard tries to do, he doesn’t produce his ID, he just tells (the officer) ‘I’m a city councilman in Columbus,’” Stephenson said. “That didn’t work too good. The next thing out of his mouth is ‘I’ll be calling my chief of police.’ I’ve come to find out he did not call his chief of police.”
Officers saw open containers of alcohol in the vehicle, which is illegal, Stephenson said.
“This is a dry county,” Stephenson said. “He had (open containers). Here if you’re not a resident you can’t have alcohol in your vehicle, and if you are a resident you can’t have it in the passenger compartment.”
The officer determined Beard to be intoxicated and arrested him. He was eventually charged with driving under the influence (alcohol), possession of marijuana (second offense), drug paraphernalia (first offense) and illegal alcohol.
Betts was charged with public intoxication, possession of marijuana (second offense), drug paraphernalia (first offense) and illegal alcohol.
Betts and Beard connected
In June Betts was arrested by Columbus Police Department and charged with two counts of armed robbery, simple assault on a police officer, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. He allegedly robbed two people at the Waffle House on Highway 45.
Betts was arrested at a hotel room in the La Quinta Inn that was booked under Beard’s name.
Columbus Police Chief Joseph Daughtry told the Columbus Rotary Club in August that video surveillance also showed Beard and Betts interacting around the time of the robbery, and he planned to present the case to a grand jury on whether to charge Beard.
According to court records, no indictments have been handed down for either man.
Beard: ‘I am sincerely apologetic’
At Tuesday night’s Columbus City Council meeting, Beard apologized to the city, but also claimed he was innocent of the charges against him.
“I was arrested in Pickens County for DUI and possession of marijuana in spite of being sober, passing a field sobriety test and not being in possession of any drugs,” Beard said.
Beard claimed he did not have a tag because it was a new vehicle he bought in Alabama.
“I did do something wrong: I purchased a vehicle in Alabama and I was waiting on documentation to be able to purchase a tag here in Mississippi,” Beard said. “I have yet to receive the paperwork and I chose to drive despite not having my car properly registered. That’s what I did wrong.”
Beard said he was “sincerely apologetic” to Columbus residents and city employees for what happened.
“The decision I made brought serious embarrassment to you, my family and myself,” Beard said. “I hate that I disappointed some of you. … But some of you will never have that experience, not because you won’t make a mistake but because of the treatment of men who look like me won’t happen to you in Pickens County.”
Brian Jones is the local government reporter for Columbus and Lowndes County.
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