By Beth Alston

AMERICUS —Janice Smarr was understandably very upset when she realized someone had walked all over her son’s gravesite recently. Her son is Americus Police Officer Nick Smarr, who, along with Georgia Southwestern State University Officer Jody Smith, were murdered in December 2016, when responding to a domestic disturbance.

The culprits had walked in wet sand near the gravesite and then left their footprints all over Smarr’s black marble gravestone. A photo of the disrespectful act was circulated through social media.

On Wednesday, the Americus Police Department made an arrest in connection with the criminal trespass at fallen Officer Smarr’s gravesite in Oak Grove Cemetery. According to Smarr’s family, the gravesite had been vandalized for over a week prior to them installing a surveillance camera.

Arrested was Kaheem D. Chambers, 17, of 509 W. Church St., Americus, and three juveniles from Americus. Chambers is charged with criminal trespass and is jailed at Sumter County Jail. All three juveniles were charged with curfew violation and criminal trespass. Two of the juveniles, both females, were charged additionally with obstruction of a law enforcement officer and were transported to a youth facility to Macon. The third juvenile was released to a parent.