PALATKA, Fla. — The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office has announced the arrest of 28-year-old Matthew Dennis, who is now facing charges in the murder of 47-year-old Clifford Tennant. This arrest follows a thorough investigation into the fatal incident.

The grim discovery occurred on Tuesday evening when deputies responded to a distress call reporting gunshots in the vicinity of Carole Road, near Alabama Avenue and Roddy Road. Upon arrival, they found Tennant deceased along a secluded wooded trail.

The emergency call came from a witness who reported hearing gunshots and subsequently discovered Tennant suffering from gunshot wounds.

Acting swiftly, detectives identified Dennis as a suspect, and an arrest warrant was promptly issued by a judge. The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office then collaborated with the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office, whose SWAT team successfully executed the arrest of Dennis.

PCSO reached out to the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office whose SWAT team executed the warrant and arrested Dennis.

Dennis has been charged with first degree murder and is being held at the St. Johns County Jail. He is being held without bond.

“I want to commend everyone who worked on this case and the teamwork with the state attorney’s office and the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office in allowing us to quickly apprehend Matthew Dennis,” H.D. ‘Gator’ DeLoach said.

He continued: “Very early in this investigation, detectives were working tirelessly to solve this case, and they did just that. 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.”