PUTNAM COUNTY, Fla. – The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office said Sunday that it arrested a man who is accused of killing a 47-year-old Palatka resident earlier in the week.
According to deputies, Matthew Michael Dennis, 28, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of Clifford Tennant.
Recommended Videos
Deputies say the incident began on Tuesday evening, when they responded to a call about a shooting in the area of Carole Road near Alabama Avenue and Roddy Road.
Upon arrival, Tennant was found dead along a wooded trail after a 911 caller reported hearing gunshots and finding him bleeding.
The sheriff’s office said that after detectives quickly went through their process, it began working with the State Attorney’s Office, to obtain an arrest warrant for Dennis.
On Sunday, the sheriff’s office contacted the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office, and its SWAT team executed the warrant and arrested Dennis, who was taken to the St. Johns County Jail.
“I want to commend everyone who worked on this case and the teamwork with the state attorney’s office and St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office in allowing us to quickly apprehend Matthew Dennis,” Sheriff H.D. ‘Gator’ DeLoach said. “There are a lot of moving parts behind the scenes that the public may not be privy to, but at the end of the day, our job is to see that the guilty party is punished and the victim’s family can have closure.”
Dennis is being held without bond.