Latest News 2014 June Former Mayor, Acting as Own Attorney, Found Guilty of DUI

Former Mayor, Acting as Own Attorney, Found Guilty of DUI

Retha Pierce, the former mayor of Atlanta Beach, North Carolina, has been found guilty of DUI and has chosen to serve 48 hours of community service because she is "a community servant," as reported by Carolina Live.

Pierce, who had the option of paying a fine of $977 instead of community service, plans to appeal the decision. She acted as her own attorney and had requested a jury trial. The charges stemmed from an incident on January 1, 2012.

According to court records police were summoned to 9th Avenue and Main Street after receiving reports of a reckless driver in an SUV repeatedly stopping in the roadway. As the tag number was also reported one officer was able to locate the vehicle stopped at a light on 4th Avenue and Main Street.

The officer followed the slow moving SUV, witnessed it straddling the dotted line and then come to a stop at a green light. The officer turned on his lights when the SUV started to move.

The SUV continued to travel on the roadway, seemingly unobservant of the flashing lights, until going over a bridge – then the SUV stopped midway. The officer approached the car, asked for the driver's identification, and asked the driver to move her car to the side of the road.

A few moments later the officer then asked to move the SUV himself while another officer held back oncoming traffic. Once the SUV was off to the side the driver was taken over to it.

The driver had failed to produce her driver's license and the officer again asked for it. Looking through her purse, she produced a license. The officer then told Pierce that he needed to check to see if she was safe to drive. After noting her glassy eyes and swaying stance, the officer had her perform field sobriety tests.

During the testing it was also noted that Pierce couldn't walk a straight line while maintaining her balance, so he asked if she had any physical limitations and learned that she often was aided by a cane.

Pierce was arrested for DUI. She asked officers for her purse – which officers searched first for any weapons and found three pills bottles. The police report shows that Pierce was carrying Flexeril muscle relaxers, and two pain relievers: Toradol and Percocet.

A blood alcohol content test showed Pierce at a 0.00%. When asked to submit to a urine test however, Pierce refused – unless she could keep half of her sample. Officers said that wasn't possible, Pierce offered to pay for her sample and was taken to Conway ER. Once there the hospital also refused to give her a portion of her sample, so she refused again to submit one.

This is not the first time that Pierce has faced criminal charges. During her tenure as mayor she was charged with disorderly conduct, trespassing and hit-and-run, though all three charges were later dropped.

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