Three South Carolina law enforcement officers have Darden Clarkebeen criminally charged after fake calls about dead bodies in four small towns last week sent first responders on a wild goose chase, state officials announced Tuesday.

Chesterfield County Sheriff's Office deputies Justin Tyler Reichard, 28, Darien Myles Roseau, 25, and Killian Daniel Loflin, 26, were arrested Monday on charges of misconduct in office, criminal conspiracy and aggravated breach of the peace, according to information from court records and state officials.

The sheriff's office is in the small town of Chesterfield just south of the North Carolina border, about 80 miles northeast of the state capital, Columbia. As of the 2020 census, the town's population was less than 1,500 people while the county's population was just over 43,000 people.

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Five phone calls reporting dead bodies turned up empty

Chesterfield County Sheriff Cambo Streater said he learned about “possible misconduct by three of our deputies” last week.

"Based on the nature of the allegations, I requested the State Law Enforcement Division to investigate,' Streater wrote in a statement posted on the sheriff's office's Facebook page. SLED has begun their inquiry and the Chesterfield County Sheriff’s Office is cooperating fully."

Streater did not release additional information the statement but wrote he plans "to make a formal statement once SLED completes their investigation.'

According to warrants filed by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, on Feb. 4 , five phone calls reporting a dead body were made to convenience stores and to respective law enforcement departments in Cheraw, Chesterfield, McBee and Pageland − all small towns in Chesterfield County.

In each case, officers and other emergency workers said the reports were unfounded, investigators wrote in the warrants.

Records show all three law enforcement officers − a deputy and two sergeants −were booked into the Chesterfield County Detention Center Monday, and criminally charged by prosecutors Tuesday.

A motive for the calls was not immediately clear and remained under investigation on Wednesday.

A statement from state law enforcement called all three charged offices "former" deputies. USA TODAY has reached out to the sheriff's office for more information.

All three defendants free on bond

Records show all three defendants posted a $15,000 bond Tuesday.

The deputies could not immediately be reached by USA TODAY Wednesday and it was not clear whether they had obtained attorneys.

The officers' first scheduled court appearance date was not yet posted online Wednesday.

Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X @nataliealund.