Second judge denies bond for armed robbery suspect
Jul. 24—TUPELO — A career criminal, who brought his teenage son with him when he traveled to Tupelo and robbed three people at gunpoint within a four-hour span, has again been denied bond.
Myron Pollard, 38, of McKinley Avenue, Clarksdale, was arrested by Tupelo police in the early morning hours of July 9 and charged with three counts of armed robbery. After being ordered held without bond during his initial appearance, Pollard asked for a preliminary hearing.
The first attempt at a hearing July 18 had to be abandoned in the middle of a detective's testimony, when Pollard announced his wife was getting him a lawyer. The hearing was rescheduled for Monday. But when the bailiff went to get Pollard at the Lee County Jail on July 24, Pollard refused to leave his cell to participate.
The lack of a defendant did not stop prosecutor Richard Babb from proceeding with the hearing before Tupelo Municipal Court judge pro tem Lee Dulaney.
"We feel he has waived his right to a preliminary. He was made aware of the fact this hearing would take place this morning," Babb said. "We are ready to move forward."
Tupelo police detective Adam Sanford took the stand and said police were flagged down in the 1200 block of Nelle Street a little before 8 p.m. on Saturday July 8 by a man who said he had just been robbed by a Black male wearing a blue hoodie and black pants.
"He said the suspect forced him to the ground, and he could feel the pistol on the back of his head," Sanford said. "(The victim) gave him his keys, phone and wallet."
Just before midnight, two Hispanic males were sitting in a vehicle outside of Cheers near Crosstown when a Black male wearing a blue hoodie and black pants walked up asked for $2.
"They gave him $2. He then pulled out a gun and demanded more. He took their cell phones and money," Sanford said.
The crime spree ended about 15 minutes later when a patrolman spotted a blue Infinity swerving in the road at Crosstown and attempted to pull it over. The car didn't stop, it sped away. A short pursuit ended a few blocks away when the Infinity crashed into a tree on North Madison Street.
Sanford testified that two males ran from the car. Pollard's 15-year-old son was quickly apprehended. Pollard was found lying on the ground in a wooded area, still wearing the blue hoodie and black pants.
Officers allegedly found two stolen cell phones and the first victim's wallet on Pollard. The third stolen phone was reportedly on the juvenile.
The detective said Pollard has a "very extensive criminal record," including officer-involved shootings in Helena, Arkansas, and Coahoma County, numerous narcotics arrests and active warrants from Georgia and Tennessee.
"By refusing to attend, Mr. Pollard has waived his right to be here," Judge Dulaney said. "He is bound over to the grand jury and the release terms shall remain unchanged."
Pollard has a long history of running afoul of the law. He was arrested on felony drug charges in 2005 and 2007. When those charges made it to Coahoma County Circuit Court, he was found guilty and sentenced to 15 years in prison.
In September 2019, he was pulled over by a Coahoma County deputy sheriff for failing to signal
When officers searched the car, they allegedly found felony amounts of cocaine, fentanyl, methamphetamine, Oxycodone, marijuana and buprenorphine, as well as a gun, which he was not allowed to have because of the prior felony convictions. He was indicted on the seven felonies — five as a habitual criminal — and arraigned in June 2021. The following month he was released on a $5,000 bond set by Circuit Judge Linda Coleman.
The trial on those seven charges is set for next month in the Coahoma County Courthouse in Clarksdale, after being continued seven times over the last two years.
A few months after being released on bond, Pollard was pulled over by the Senatobia Police Department for a traffic stop in November 2021 after he was spotted "driving in circles" on Main Street just after midnight. A search of Pollard and his car revealed marijuana, Oxycodone, two loaded handguns and $4,685 in cash. That case is still working its way through the court system.
Pollard could still face additional charges in Tupelo for his actions. And Sanford said there was a possibility that Pollard's son could face criminal charges as well for his actions that night.
