A Georgia mayor was charged with burglary and criminal trespassing Saturday, leading the way for him to be temporarily replaced by one of five City Council members who sued him this year.
Khalid Kamau, the mayor of the city of South Fulton in metropolitan Atlanta, was charged with criminal trespassing and first-degree burglary. He was released the same day on $11,000 in surety bonds.
He was also ordered to undergo a mental health evaluation, NBC affiliate WXIA of Atlanta reported.
The police department forwarded a request for more information to the city’s public affairs director, who declined to provide details Sunday, citing an “ongoing investigation.
“The City of South Fulton is committed to upholding the law and ensuring that all individuals, regardless of their position, are subject to the same fair and just treatment,” said Jacqueline Howell, the interim director of public affairs.
South Fulton, Ga., Mayor Khalid Kamau in Atlanta on June 16.Paras Griffin / Getty Images file
The city’s public records office was asked for the incident report Sunday.
An email to Kamau’s official city email address and to his chief of staff was not immediately replied to Sunday. Kamau said Saturday on Facebook that he was “good” and “free.”
“God is still using me. Stay tuned,” he wrote.
Kamau also shared a Bible verse about “those who are persecuted because of righteousness.”
City Council member Natasha Williams-Brown, the mayor pro tem, will replace Kamau as acting mayor, WXIA reported. She told the station that the city will continue to function as usual as she takes over mayoral duties.
“If I get called upon to do any official actions as the acting mayor, that’s what I will do until such time as Mayor Khalid returns to duty,” she said.
Williams-Brown and four other council members sued Kamau in March to remove him from office. Only two members of the council were not party to the suit, court records show.
The suit alleges that Kamau knowingly disclosed confidential information for his benefit since his election and recorded confidential executive sessions, the Atlanta-Journal Constitution reported at the time.
Kamau has been in a contentious relationship with the council for over a year. The council asked the district attorney’s office in June 2022 for an investigation of transactions Kamau’s charged on a city-issued credit card that were discovered in an audit.
He asked Georgia Bureau of Investigation to investigate the City Council for possible corruption the next month, WXIA reported.
Doha Madani
Doha Madani is a senior breaking news reporter for NBC News. Pronouns: she/her.
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