Columbus city councilman Pierre Beard has been arrested yet again — this time for drug possession.
According to Lowndes County Sheriff Eddie Hawkins, Beard was taken into custody on Monday after deputies went to the Ward 4 councilman’s home to serve a warrant to a familiar face in Quavis Betts for an armed robbery at a local Waffle House earlier this year.
Officers discovered methamphetamine and marijuana in Beard’s house before placing him in handcuffs. He is charged with possession of a controlled substance.
During the June 25 incident at the local breakfast food chain, officers accused Beard of interacting with Betts when two people were robbed at gunpoint. Things got more interesting when Betts was found and arrested at a local LaQuinta hotel in a room that was booked under the councilman’s name.
Betts is charged with two counts of armed robbery. Beard has not faced any charges from the Waffle House occurrence, but a grand jury will soon determine the councilman’s role in the robbery.
Beard, no stranger to law enforcement, was taken into custody across state lines for driving under the influence, possession of marijuana, possession of paraphernalia, and illegal alcohol on Dec. 1. The Gordo (Ala.) Police Department arrested him before he bonded out at $2,350.
In addition, Beard had also been facing misdemeanor domestic violence charges after a gunshot was fired in his backyard following an argument with his wife in November 2021. The charges were dismissed after the victim did not appear in court in February 2022.
Beard has been serving on the city council since September 2019 with his current term set to end in 2025.
