Police in Daytona Beach, Florida, have arrested a person of interest tied to the murders of four friends in Okmulgee, Oklahoma, last week.
The four men, including Mark Chastain, 32; Billy Chastain, 30; Mike Sparks, 32; and Alex Stevens, 29, went missing on Oct. 9 after leaving for a bike ride from Billy Chastain’s house.
Daytona Beach police on Tuesday arrested Joe Kennedy, 67 — who was named as a person of interest in the four murders on Monday — on charges of motor vehicle theft. He is being held without bond at the Volusia County Jail.
Authorities in Okmulgee County also issued a warrant for Kennedy’s arrest in connection to a shooting incident he was sentenced for in 2012.
Person of interest in Okmulgee murders, Joe Kennedy.
(Volusia County Jail)
“The District Attorney and the Sheriff will begin the process of getting Kennedy back to Okmulgee County,” the Okmulgee Police Department said in a Tuesday Facebook post. “The murder investigation is ongoing and investigators continue to follow leads every day. Additional information will be relayed when it is available.”
Kennedy was reported missing on Saturday and may be suicidal. Police found his blue PT Cruiser behind a business on Monday afternoon in Morris, Oklahoma, about six miles east of Okmulgee.
A witness told police that he was invited to join the four men that night to “hit a lick big enough for all of them,” or commit a criminal act, Okmulgee Police Chief Joe Prentice said at a press conference on Monday. It is unclear what type of crime they allegedly planned to commit.
Fox News’ Paul Best contributed to this report.
