FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — A judge issued a bench warrant for the arrest of South Fulton Mayor Khalid Kamau on Tuesday.
Kamau had been scheduled to appear in court for a hearing on trespassing charges but arrived more than an hour late.
Channel 2 Investigative Reporter Ashli Lincoln was in the courtroom when the judge announced the warrant.
All the latest developments on Channel 2 Action News at 4 p.m.
The judge lifted the warrant after Kamau’s arrival.
Once the hearing began, he rejected the state’s offer of 12 months probation and said he wanted to take the case to trial. He could face a maximum sentence of 12 months in prison if convicted.
A pretrial hearing was scheduled for Feb. 4, with the trial beginning Feb. 17.
The Fulton County district attorney formally charged Kamau with criminal trespassing in May, in connection with an alleged incident from July 2023.
District Attorney Fani Willis said in the charging document that Kamau “knowingly and without authority” entered a home on Cascade Palmetto Highway without permission in 2023.
Kamau was initially booked in the Fulton County Jail with a $11,000 bond on the day of the alleged trespassing. He was released later that day.
Kamau ran for re-election in November but secured less than 5% of the vote. Councilwoman Carmalitha Gumbs won the December runoff election to become the mayor-elect.
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