Keith Stokes, the former SLED agent indicted Thursday as part of a cockfighting investigation, is a third-generation police officer.

His father, Carl “Pete” Stokes, 69, has a statewide reputation in law enforcement and legal circles. He had a 27-year career with the State Law Enforcement Division beginning in 1954, during the agency’s infancy. Both of his sons eventually would work for SLED.

Pete Stokes’ father was sheriff of Darlington County.

Keith Stokes, 40, of Lexington is charged by federal agents with twice lying to them about the 2-year-old investigation into cockfighting in Aiken County.

Keith Stokes was fired in February because of the investigation. He joined SLED in 1986, after he got a degree in criminal justice from USC.

Pete Stokes said he preferred not to discuss his son’s legal troubles. “I don’t want to influence the case one way or the other,” he said Thursday evening from his home.

Pete Stokes retired in 1998 as head of the USC Police Department and campus security. He took that job in 1981 after leaving SLED, where he was credited with establishing the crime reporting and crime analysis system that is still used across the state.

Keith Stokes spent most of his years at SLED as a vice agent working drug, alcohol and video gambling cases, SLED chief Robert Stewart said.

Pete Stokes’ eldest son, Carl W. Stokes, 43, has been a sergeant with the state Department of Natural Resources since 1985.

Carl W. Stokes began his law enforcement career at SLED in 1983. He was a member of the capitol police force, then a division of SLED.