Chris Breault: ‘Don’t believe everything you read’

Columbus lightening rod Chris Breault was briefly detained by law enforcement after being charged with a single count of cruelty to children-1st degree (family violence). According to jail records Breault was booked into the Muscogee County Jail at 3:19 pm September 24, 2026, and released on bond about two and half hours later.

Details about what exactly prompted the felony charge are not readily available to the public though records indicate the offense date occurred August 19, 2026. NowGeorgia.com reached out to Breault for the backstory leading up to his arrest but he declined to comment. As unconfirmed narratives circulated online stating a physical altercation occurred involving Breault, the local attorney and former mayoral candidate didn’t waste any time responding to accusations on social media. “Don’t believe everything you read,” Breault shared in one post.

Breault ran his campaign for mayor by routinely taking on the establishment. He garnered thousands of votes during the May election ultimately forcing a runoff between the top two candidates. Members of law enforcement were in such a hurry to make the felony charge public they tipped off the media to Breault’s arrest while he was still being processed. By contrast, the Muscogee County Sheriff’s Office which shares mugshots via a public information system has not published Breault’s mugshot after Thursday’s arrest. NowGeorgia.com was advised to submit a formal open records request in order to receive a copy of the mugshot. This report will be updated accordingly once the mugshot is received.

Georgia Code § 16-5-70 is a serious offense which states the following:

(a) A parent, guardian, or other person supervising the welfare of or having immediate charge or custody of a child under the age of 18 commits the offense of cruelty to children in the first degree when such person willfully deprives the child of necessary sustenance to the extent that the child’s health or well-being is jeopardized.

(b) Any person commits the offense of cruelty to children in the first degree when such person maliciously causes a child under the age of 18 cruel or excessive physical or mental pain.

The sentence if convicted for this charge “shall be punished by imprisonment for not less than five nor more than 20 years.”

Breault quickly denied any physical contact occurred involving his family members stating on Facebook in part that “My daughter has never been spanked or given any kind of physical discipline whatsoever. I was with her mother for 23 years and I never once put a hand on either her mother or either of our two children. I am confident that all of the facts will come to light and God will put things in its proper place.”

The arrest comes just a few weeks after Breault debuted a local television program “Uncut Columbus” with his friend and staunch supporter Terrence Flowers. Together they tackle meaningful local issues and pop culture topics. Flowers told NowGeorgia.com that it’s “too early” to say what kind of impact Breault’s arrest will have on the program. “As of this moment, I have no idea how it’ll affect the show as far as I’m concerned it won’t until I hear something different,” Flowers said.