Columbia police arrest 3 minors for cemetery vandalism

COLUMBIA, Miss. (WDAM) - Three minors are facing charges in Columbia in connection with vandalizing several graves at a local cemetery. The suspects’ names and ages were not provided.

Columbia Police say the arrests came after 15 graves in the Columbia City Cemetery were vandalized on the evenings of Dec. 14-15.

Some headstones were toppled over while others were broken.

A few of the graves are about one century old.

“We had an idea of who it possibly could have been,” said Lt. Justin Porter, an investigator with the Columbia Police Department. “Through some contact with patrol and the parents of the juveniles, we were able to nail it down as to who it was.”

Porter added, “some people think, oh well, it’s a cemetery who cares? Well, we do. We will catch you.”

Columbia police say more than $9,000 in damage was done at the cemetery.

Want more WDAM 7 news in your inbox? Click here to subscribe to our newsletter.

Copyright 2023 WDAM. All rights reserved.