Three NIU football players turned themselves in to University Police on Wednesday after police issued warrants for their arrests.

Chris Acevedo, 19, of Lyons; Jonathan Hedges, 19, of Rockford; and Kevin Serfort, 18, of Oak Creek, Wis.; each face 11 counts of criminal damage to property.

The men are accused of slashing tires on 15 vehicles on the morning of April 2 in Parking Lot J, east of Grant Towers and north of Lincoln Hall. Only 11 victims chose to press charges.

Witnesses were able to link them to the crimes, said Joe King, assistant director of NIU Public Affairs. The three men were identified fairly early in the investigation before the warrants were issued, but police had to hammer out everything with the States Attorney’s Office, King said.

The three turned themselves in to police just after 4 p.m. Wednesday, hours after warrants were issued. Each was released on $2,000 bond shortly thereafter.

King said there is no indication as to why the tires were slashed.

The three athletes have been suspended from the football team and did not participate in Thursday’s Spring Football Game, coach Joe Novak said.

Acevedo and Serfort are redshirt freshmen. Hedges is a freshman walk-on. Novak would not comment further on the incident.

Interim Athletic Director George Shur said earlier in the week that athletes need to be aware of their actions and how they could affect them.

“We hold our athletes to higher standards,” Shur said.

King said the three men could be reprimanded by the Judicial Office.

The UP declined to comment on the arrests.

Court dates for the three had not been set as of Thursday afternoon. Criminal damage to property is a Class A misdemeanor. Each charge could carry up to one year in jail.