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Joey Meek, a friend of confessed Charleston church shooter Dylann Roof, was arrested by the FBI on Thursday.
A law enforcement official told CNN that Joey Meek had been under investigation since the June shooting, for knowing about Roof’s plans ahead of time but not saying anything. CBS adds that Meek is accused of lying to law enforcement.
Meek had told reporters in June that he knew Roof had vowed, while drunk, to “do something crazy” and “start a race war.” But Meek didn’t believe it was serious, he told CNN in an earlier story. He hid Roof’s gun the night of this confession but returned it the next day.
Meek called authorities when he heard about the shooting, CNN said.
South Carolina’s The State newspaper says both lying to law enforcement and misprision of a felony—the charge for concealing knowledge of a crime—are felonies.
On Sunday, the Washington Post ran a profile of the Meek family, whom Roof had stayed with in the months leading up to the attack. To their reporter, Joey Meek said, “Would you believe your friend if they said something like that when they were drunk? You can’t tell me you would. I didn’t believe it. I brushed it off.”
The Post also reported on the arrest. If Meek if convicted, the charge of concealing information could lead to a fine and up to three years in prison, and the charge for making false statements could lead to a five-year sentence and additional fines, according to the newspaper.
Agencies/Canadajournal
