A Georgia mayor was charged with burglary and trespassing on Saturday, prompting him to be temporarily replaced by one of five city council members who sued him earlier this year.
Khalid Kamau, the mayor of the city of South Fulton, in the greater Atlanta area, has been charged with trespassing and first-degree burglary. He was released on $11,000 bail the same day.
He was also ordered to undergo a psychiatric evaluation, Atlanta-based NBC affiliate WXIA reported.
Police forwarded a request for more information to the city’s director of public affairs, who on Sunday declined to provide details, citing “an ongoing investigation.”
“The City of South Fulton strives to comply with the law and ensure that all individuals, regardless of position, receive equal fair and equitable treatment,” said Jacqueline Howell, the interim director of public affairs.
Khalid Kamau, Mayor of South Fulton, Georgia, on June 16, 2023 in Atlanta. (File Paras Griffin/Getty Images)
The city’s Public Archives Office was asked for a report on the incident on Sunday.
An email to Kamau’s official city email address and to his chief of staff was not immediately answered on Sunday. Kamau said on Facebook on Saturday that he was “fine” and “free”.
“God is still using me. Stay tuned,” he wrote.
Kamau also shared a Bible verse about “those who are persecuted for righteousness.”
City Council member Natasha Williams-Brown, the acting mayor, will replace Kamau as acting mayor, WXIA reported. She told the broadcaster that the city will continue to function as usual as she takes on the duties of mayor.
“If I am called upon to perform any official duties as acting mayor, I will do so until Mayor Khalid returns to office,” she said.
Williams-Brown and four other council members sued Kamau in March to impeach him. Only two council members were not involved in the lawsuit, court filings show.
The lawsuit alleges that since his election, Kamau knowingly disclosed confidential information on his behalf and recorded confidential meetings of executives, 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 prosecutors in June 2022 to investigate transactions charged to Kamau through a city-issued credit card that an audit uncovered.
He asked the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to probe the city council for possible corruption next month, WXIA reported.
