Councilman Pierre Beard cited for possession of marijuana, less than an ounce

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – A Columbus city councilman is cited for drug possession.

Lowndes County Sheriff Eddie Hawkins tells WCBI that Ward 4 Councilman Pierre Beard was cited for possession of marijuana, less than an ounce.

Sources tell WCBI the citation came during a traffic stop over the weekend.

The ticket is a misdemeanor.

When contacted by WCBI, Beard said he had no comment on the pending matter.

He also said he had not been to court.

If found guilty of the charge, Beard would not have to resign from the council.

*** A Letter from Councilman Beard, 01/08/21

To My Family, The City, and any other person I offended especially the Constituents of Ward 4 I hold full responsibility for my actions and I would like to personally and wholeheartedly apologize!! I will not go into full details on the matter due to it being a personal issue!!  My hope and prayers are for us to not forget yet to forgive me for making such a careless mistake. I’ve enjoyed representing all of you and will continue to represent Ward 4 to the best of my ability!!  To everyone who has garnered support, I appreciate you. You guys rock!!! No, I am not exempt from the law as you can tell… Let us continue to work with each other and build each other up. We all have flaws!!! Together we can continue to see Great Changes in our Ward and in our city!! Again I apologize!!