PALATKA, Fla. — Matthew Michael Dennis was arrested Saturday and charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of 47-year-old Clifford Tennant.
Dennis, 28, was apprehended following a shooting investigation in St. Johns County.
Deputies discovered Tennant’s body along a wooded trail on Tuesday evening. Law enforcement responded to a call in the area of Carole Road near Alabama Avenue and Roddy Road after a 911 caller reported gunshots and found Tennant bleeding at the scene. Tennant was a resident of Palatka.
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Detectives developed a suspect by interviewing neighbors and potential witnesses. The investigation progressed through several searches as law enforcement worked to identify the person responsible for the shooting.
Investigators worked with the State Attorney for Florida’s 7th Circuit to present evidence to a judge. Following this process, an arrest warrant was issued for Dennis. The St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office SWAT team executed the warrant and took Dennis into custody. He was transported to the St. Johns County Jail.
Dennis is currently being held without bond.
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Sheriff H.D. “Gator” DeLoach commended the agencies involved for the quick apprehension of the suspect. “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,” 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,” the sheriff said.
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