Georgia mayor says he thought house was abandoned after arrested on trespassing, burglary charges

South Fulton, Georgia, Mayor Khalid Kamau was arrested and charged with first-degree burglary and criminal trespass after entering a home that he says he thought was abandoned. 

Kamau was booked into the Fulton County Jail on Saturday and released that same day after posting $11,000 in bond, records show.  

The police report, obtained by local outlet Channel 2 Action News, states that police received a call from a homeowner who said his phone alerted him that a person was on his lake house property shortly before 7 a.m. on Saturday. 

The owner went to his lake house and saw the person inside, so he approached cautiously. The suspect left the lake house and the owner ordered him to stay put. 

"Do you know who the f**k I am? I’m the Mayor, and I’ll wait for my police to get here and see what happens then," the suspect said while the owner was on the phone with the dispatcher, the police report said. 

Kamau said he was going to the dog park and decided to look at the home, which is his dream house that he wanted to buy, the report said. 

"I just wanted to see the house," Kamau told Fox 5 Atlanta. "I do apologize to the owners. I thought it was abandoned."

"I do want to thank South Fulton Police and the staff and officers at Rice Street for courteous and professional service throughout the day today," Kamau said when he was released from jail.

The city said: "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. As the investigation is still ongoing, we are unable to provide further details at this time."

Kamau's biography on the city website states that he is a "Christian Socialist and "America's first #BlackLivesMatter organizer elected to public office."

Madeleine Hubbard is an international correspondent for Just the News. Follow her on Twitter or Instagram.