DeKalb officer Ghayth Abdul-Mughnee arrested, charged with stealing while in uniform

A DeKalb police officer, recently named Officer of the Month, is now behind bars accused of stealing from people while in uniform.

Officer Ghayth Abdul-Mughnee, 30, was arrested Wednesday night and was taken into the DeKalb County Police Headquarters where he was a 4-year veteran, working as center precinct moing patrol officer.

Detectives obtained an arrest warrant for Abdul-Mughnee for theft by taking, possession of marijuana and violation of oath of office.

Police told Channel 2's Sophia Choi some additional charges are pending.

Police said Abdul-Mughnee was put on administrative leave after investigators responded to a domestic call at his home on Raiders Ridge Drive in Lithonia shortly after 2 a.m. Monday.

An incident report said the officer's live-in girlfriend, Shawte White, 33, alerted them about the theft as she was being arrested for simple assault.

The report said, "Abdul-Mughnee would bring miscellaneous items home from work that belonged to people he arrested."

According to the report, inside the home in Lithonia investigators found a laptop, cell phone and an iPod, as well as several banking transaction cards and banking information.

A police source told Choi they found ATM cards with pin numbers and credit cards not only in the home, but in the front shirt pocket of Abdul-Mughnee's uniform.

In the report, White also said Abdul-Mughnee would bring home marijuana that he had confiscated from drug suspects.

Also confiscated from his home: a patrol car.

Police said that was his perk for getting Officer of the Month in December.

That patrol car is now impounded as evidence.