Convicted felon faces more than a dozen charges in Macon

A 29-year-old Macon man who had been convicted of felonies and imprisoned in recent years was jailed again Friday on numerous charges dating back to this past December.

Sheldon James Beard II, also known as “Junior,” faces more than a dozen charges in Macon that range from stealing thousands of dollars worth of clothes and a car to harming others.

Beard is charged with the following crimes, according to arrest warrants from the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office:

▪  Feb. 5, criminal damage to property. Beard became irate inside the MM Food Mart on Montpelier Avenue. Video surveillance shows Beard pushing over display cases, destroying about $1,500 in merchandise, a warrant said.

▪  Feb. 23, simple battery. Beard attacked a store clerk at MM Food Mart with his hands and fists, according to a warrant.

▪  Feb. 24, terroristic threats. Beard threatened the life of an employee of MM Food Mart and said, “I am going to kill you.” He entered the store toting a gun on his hip but never brandished it, a warrant said. The victim said he was in fear for his life.

▪  Feb. 24, criminal damage to property. Beard walked inside MM Food Mart and destroyed $10,000 worth of inventory by “knocking over all the shelves and racks” and spoiling “various food products by tearing open packaging and pouring contents onto the floor,” a warrant said. The scene was caught on surveillance.

▪  Feb. 25, criminal trespass. Beard intentionally removed three lug nuts from a man’s car, according to a warrant.

▪  Feb. 29; criminal trespass. Beard threw a rock at the same man’s car, leaving a small dent on the rear passenger door, according to a warrant.

▪  April 7; theft by taking. Beard stole a car from a man at Tom’s Store in Lizella. The man had gone inside to pay for gas and left his keys in the ignition, a warrant said. The crime was captured on surveillance.

On numerous occasions dating back to December 2015, Beard stole or helped others steal hundreds to thousands of dollars worth of merchandise from stores across town, according to several arrest warrants. In April, Beard tried to cut security tabs from 15 Coach brand purses, valued at $1,800, from a store at the Shoppes at River Crossing.

In May, Beard was caught on surveillance at JCPenney taking about 20 pairs of Levi jeans and shirts, valued at $1,500. He left his cell phone at the scene, according to a warrant.

The slew of charges comes just more than a year after Beard was released from Hays State Prison in April 2015, according to the Georgia Department of Corrections. Beard was behind bars from December 2012 to April 2015 and from November 2007 to April 2012 on various felony charges including gang participation, aggravated assaults, possession of cocaine and more, according to state records.

Beard remained in the Bibb County jail on Monday evening on a $3,150 bond, according to jail records.

This story was originally published June 6, 2016 at 8:06 PM with the headline "Convicted felon faces more than a dozen charges in Macon."