MOUNT AIRY, N.C. (NCN News) – Law enforcement has apprehended a man sought in the death of a Virginia sheriff’s deputy in Surry County.
Michael Puckett, 55, is now in custody in connection with the death of Carroll County Deputy Sheriff Logan Utt.
According to Carroll County Sheriff Kevin Kemp, around 9:30 p.m. Friday (May 29), deputies received a request from a family member to conduct a welfare check at 13658 Fancy Gap Highway.
Upon arrival, two deputies encountered a male subject. During the encounter, the suspect opened fire on the responding deputies. Deputies returned fire.
Both deputies were struck by gunfire and Utt was killed. The second deputy was struck in his ballistic vest and is currently receiving medical evaluation and is reported to be in stable condition.
Around 8 p.m. Sunday (May 31), North Carolina SBI agents took Michael Puckett into custody in Surry County, at 137 Skyview Lane, Mount. Airy. Agents located Puckett and arrested him without incident; he was armed with a handgun at the time of his arrest.
SBI Agents, utilizing a drone, located the suspect moving from one location to another and made the arrest as he was ringing the doorbell of the residence. The suspect was still armed at the time of arrest.
Puckett was being sought after the fatal shooting of Deputy Utt during a welfare check in Carroll County, Virginia. Deputy Utt was killed in the line of duty while serving the community, and law enforcement agencies across Virginia and North Carolina have been working together since the shooting to locate and apprehend the suspect.
Investigators in North Carolina used a wildlife game camera image and a drone to find and arrest a man wanted in connection with the fatal shooting of a Virginia sheriff’s deputy who was conducting a welfare check, authorities said.
Puckett appeared for an extradition hearing Monday, where he waived his right to a court-appointed lawyer and awaited transport to Virginia, WXII-TV reported.
In Virginia, the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office said the fatal shooting occurred after law enforcement received a request from a family member to do a welfare check on Friday.
A man at the home began shooting, and the two sheriff’s deputies who had responded returned fire, the sheriff’s office said. Both deputies were hit and the man ran away. Other people were in the home at the time. They were not hurt, according to Kemp.
Deputy Logan Utt was killed. The second deputy, who was struck in his ballistic vest, was recovering at home and was in good condition, Kemp said Sunday.
There was a massive search for the the suspect, who was “spotted on wildlife game camera in Surry County North Carolina,” north of the city of Mount Airy, on Sunday morning, police said. A drone was used to track his movements.
Utt, 31, was a military veteran who joined the department in 2023. A funeral procession was scheduled Monday afternoon from Roanoke, Virginia, to Mount Airy, where Utt was a former firefighter.
“He had a servant’s heart. He cared for others, he cared for his country, he cared for his family,” Kemp said.
A number of law enforcement agencies from both North Carolina and Virginia were involved in the manhunt and investigation.
The Associated Press contributed to this story