Teens arrested after footprints, mud found on slain Americus officer’s grave

Earlier this week, the mother of slain Americus police officer Nicholas Smarr noticed mud and footprints on her son’s grave.

So a family member set up a surveillance camera in the cemetery to try to figure out what was going on, the Telegraph of Macon reported. A review of surveillance photos showed four people had been on the grave after midnight, the newspaper reported.

The suspects — a 17-year-old boy and three 16-year-old girls — were known to officers and arrested.

Kaheem D. Chambers, 17, of Americus, was charged with criminal trespassing, as were the girls, whose identities weren’t released due to their ages. Chambers was booked into jail, according to Americus police Chief Mark Scott.

Two of the girls, who had previous arrest records, were sent to the Regional Youth Detention Center in Macon. The other girl was released to her parents, Scott said.

Smarr, 25, and his best friend, Jody Smith, an officer with Georgia Southwestern State University, were responding to a domestic violence call Dec. 7 when Minquell Lembrick opened fire on them, according to police. Smarr was pronounced dead the same day and Smith passed away a day later in a local hospital. Lembrick died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound following a manhunt and standoff.

“He already died for the city,” Janice Smarr said of her son. “He needs to lie in peace.”

Read more of the story here.

In other news: