It takes a hero to wear a law-enforcement uniform with honor. But wearing the uniform alone does not make one heroic.
On Tuesday, WCNC-TV in Charlotte, North Carolina, reported that the State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) of neighboring South Carolina had charged three now-former sheriff’s deputies in Chesterfield County, South Carolina, with misconduct in office, aggravated breach of peace, and criminal conspiracy.
Warrants alleged that First Sgt. Justin Tyler Reichard, Deputy Killian Daniel Loflin and Sgt. Darien Myles Roseau made five hoax emergency calls to report dead bodies in the towns of Cheraw, Chesterfield, McBee and Pageland — all located in Chesterfield County.
The calls occurred on or around Feb. 4 while the accused were on duty.
According to WBTV-TV in Charlotte, the calls went to convenience stores or law enforcement agencies. Authorities, of course, had to respond to those hoaxes and search for those nonexistent corpses.
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Chesterfield County Sheriff Cambo Streater requested the state-level investigation, according to WPDE-TV in Florence, South Carolina.
“Some alleged activities were reported to me and due to the nature of them, I needed to get SLED to come in,” Streater said.
Initially, the deputies’ employment status remained unknown. Streater told Fox News on Wednesday, however, that the accused had been “terminated.”
South Carolina deputies made phony calls about finding dead bodies while on duty: police https://t.co/6m1Zv73DdW pic.twitter.com/Ao5KA8SQEW
— New York Post (@nypost) February 14, 2024
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Chesterfield County sits on the state’s border with North Carolina, southeast of Charlotte and northwest of Florence. Those who have visited the county’s quaint community of Cheraw, dubbed “the prettiest town in Dixie,” most likely will agree that the charming southern town lives up to its nickname.
On the other hand, there is nothing pretty about law enforcement officials allegedly abusing their power.
And to what purpose? The three accused ranged in age from 25 to 28. All three, therefore, might have expected lengthy careers ahead of them. Did they throw away those careers for the sake of amusing themselves? News outlets did not identify possible motives.
As one might expect, local residents found the alleged hoaxes by law enforcement far from amusing.
“Prank calls happen, but you don’t expect it from cops,” Briana Davenport of McBee said according to WSOC-TV in Charlotte.
“Because we’re supposed to be calling them to help us out. I think it’s messed up for it to happen like that,” she added.
Campbell Motley of Chesterfield County had even more pointed criticism for the alleged hoaxers.
“It sounds like it’s childish,” Motley told WCNC. “They have the power to take our freedom away. They can arrest us. So, I would want the best of the best to be there.”
Many communities, of course, do find “the best of the best” among those who protect and serve.
When we find the alleged bad apples, therefore, it leaves us feeling particularly dispirited, for we know the power they wield and thus the immense damage that law-enforcement rogues can inflict on free citizens.
