Joey Meek, the friend of the shooter who took the lives of 9 people in a South Carolina church earlier this year, has been charged with lying to the FBI about his knowledge of Dylann Roof’s plans. According to a report from CNN, prosecutors alleged in an indictment last Friday that Meek was aware of Roof’s plans to harm people but didn’t do anything to stop him.
A federal judge called for Meek to be held on $100,000 bond for charges of misprision of a felony after he concealed information, made false statements, and failed to report his knowledge that his friend may cause harm. Meek pleaded not guilty.
His attorney, Deborah Butcher, declined to comment on the indictment until she had enough time to review the document. Meek was also unavailable for comment, and his father declined to issue a statement on behalf of his son.
Though Meek didn’t have any direct involvement in planning or carrying out the attack on June 17 that left nine dead at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Columbia, South Carolina, authorities allege that Roof confided his plans to Meek the night before the attack in a drunken episode.
Meek phoned the FBI the morning after the attack, saying that he didn’t take Roof’s threats seriously. Despite Roof’s claims that he “was about to do something crazy,” Meek and anyone else aware of Roof’s condition at the time did nothing to stop any violence that would follow.
