Atlantic Beach Mayor Retha Pierce
Atlantic Beach Mayor Retha Pierce was arrested Wednesday afternoon around 4pm in Marion County for DUI.
A good friend of Pierce's, and an Atlantic Beach activist, got a call from Pierce from jail.
Patricia Bellamy said Pierce told her she was running an errand for a friend, and on the way back home, was sleepy and maybe was wobbling a little on the road.
She said Pierce decided to pull off to get some rest.
"So she said when she did that, she was parked. She was going to sleep, and an officer came and he knocked on the window, and he told her he had gotten a call that she was bobbing and weaving on the road and she said well I was a little sleepy and I didn't want to cause an accident," said Bellamy told NewsChannel 15.
Bellamy said Pierce blew a breathalyzer and was also taken to the Marion hospital to give a urine sample, though Highway Patrol could not confirm that.
This is Pierce's third arrest this year.
Pierce was scheduled to be in court Thursday for a trial on a trespassing charge that came when she was arrested earlier this year at town hall.
NewsChannel 15 has learned the Atlantic Beach Police Department plans to request to try her in her absence.
NewsChannel 15 will be in the courtroom for that, as well as her bond hearing in Marion County, and will bring you updates right here on CarolinaLive.com and Thursday on NewsChannel 15 at 6.
