CITY OF SOUTH FULTON, Ga. — South Fulton Mayor Khalid Kamau’s plea hearing for a criminal trespassing charge has been postponed to Nov. 18 after his defense attorney withdrew from the case.
Kamau said he intends to plead not guilty. “The district attorney has instead decided to go after a Black Lives Matter activist, popularly elected as mayor,” he said.
Channel 2’s investigative reporter Ashli Lincoln was live in South Fulton, where Kamau maintains his innocence and says these charges are politically motivated.
Tuesday, he sat inside a Fulton County courtroom to address his 2023 case., accused of trespassing on private property after a homeowner reported seeing the mayor looking through the windows of an empty lake house.
His defense attorney surprised the courtroom, telling the judge he was stepping down because the mayor wanted to represent himself.
“I’m prepared to litigate for my client,” defense attorney Jacoby Hudson said. “I’m totally against it.”
After two private meetings, Kamau ultimately agreed to have a public defender represent him, while also making it clear he intends to plead not guilty.
“This politically motivated prosecution will fail,” Kamau said.
Kamau told Channel 2 at the time he thought the property was vacant and said he was curious about purchasing the home.
Earlier this year, District Attorney Fani Willis reduced his charge from a felony to a misdemeanor.
Another hearing will be held to determine who will be the mayor’s official attorney. And on Nov. 18, he will have his final plea hearing before this case heads to trial.
If convicted, he could face up to a year in jail.
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