Athens police officer placed on leave following arrest

An Athens-Clarke County police officer has been placed on administrative leave following his arrest on charges of battery and trespassing, the department announced Tuesday.

Sadiki Kamau McBarnette, 26, of Athens, faces multiple charges related to an incident that took place Monday, police spokesman Lt. Shaun Barnett said in a news release. McBarnette has been charged with simple battery and criminal trespass to property, both misdemeanors, according to online records.

McBarnette was booked into the Athens-Clarke County Jail, where he remains without bond, jail records show.

According to the agency’s announcement, McBarnette has been with the department since May 2019. As a recruit officer, McBarnette was undergoing extra training mandated by the department for all new officers, Barnett told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

“While he is a sworn officer, he had not yet completed our additional training that would have allowed him to be on his own,” Barnett said.

McBarnette has been placed on paid administrative leave while the department conducts an internal investigation, the announcement said.