Atlantic Beach mayor out on bond after hit-and run arrest

Retha Pierce leaving J Reuben Long Detention Center after posting bond for $2,200 for a hit-and-run charge and failure to provide proof of insurance.

By: Aisha Khan | News13
Published: April 12, 2009

Another arrest in less than just three months for Atlantic Beach’s newly elected Mayor Retha Pierce.

Pierce showed up for a 9am bond hearing Saturday morning after Atlantic Beach Police arrested her Friday night for a hit and run accident.

According to police, the accident happened just after 1 p.m. Friday on US 17 Business near the 31st Avenue intersection, which is not too far away from the Atlantic Beach Town Hall.

In a police report Friday, the victim 51-year-old Dorothy Montgomery said she was driving south on US 17 when a white Chevrolet Trailblazer sideswiped her 2002 Ford Taurus.

Montgomery told police, she pulled over in the Excitement Video parking lot to inspect the damages to her car and saw “an unknown subject” stop her Chevrolet in the road, get out, then got back into the Chevrolet and drove away.

Police estimated the damages to Montgomery’s Ford at $2,000. Police said several witnesses identified and filed a sworn statement with officers, identifying the driver of the Chevrolet as Atlantic Beach Mayor Retha Pierce.

Responding Officers J. Jackson and C. Bryant saw Pierce in her Chevrolet pass through town “a few hours later,” and noticed damage to the front of Pierce’s SUV.

Officers later secured arrest warrants from a Horry County magistrate for Pierce’s arrest in connection to the crash.

Pierce was ordered to pay $2000.00 for hit-and-run charges and $200.00 for failure to provide proof of insurance.

News 13 spoke with Pierce’s pastor, the Rev. Wendi Price who along with several of other Pierce’s friends was present at the hearing. Price said the charge was an unfair treatment toward the mayor.

“We feel that harassment of her has been tremendously horrible, I’ve never in my life have seen a mayor be this disrespected. I would like to see at some point that this police department be under investigation as well as the councils who seem to not respect Ms. Pierce nor allow her to do her job as the mayor of the town of Atlantic Beach,” said Price.

As for Pierce she refused to talk about Saturday’s arrest and quickly ran to a waiting car after leaving the jail. Pierce is scheduled to appear in court on June 12th and July 31st.

-- News 13’s reporter, Jody Barr contributed to this story article