SURRY COUNTY, NC (LOOTPRESS) – A man wanted in connection with the fatal shooting of a Virginia deputy sheriff has been arrested in North Carolina.
The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) announced that agents arrested Michael Puckett at approximately 8:32 p.m. Sunday in Surry County. Puckett was taken into custody without incident at a residence located on Skyview Lane in Mount Airy.
According to the SBI, agents used a drone to track Puckett as he moved between locations. He was arrested while ringing the doorbell of a residence and was armed with a handgun at the time of his arrest.
Puckett had been the subject of a multi-agency manhunt following the fatal shooting of Deputy Logan Utt of the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office. Authorities said Deputy Utt was killed while responding to a welfare check in Carroll County, Virginia.
Law enforcement agencies from Virginia and North Carolina had been working together since the shooting to locate and apprehend Puckett.
Following his arrest, Puckett was booked into the Surry County Detention Center in Dobson, North Carolina, where he is being held without bond. Authorities said he is scheduled to appear in court Monday.
The SBI thanked numerous local, state and federal agencies for their assistance in the investigation and search effort, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, United States Marshals Service, Drug Enforcement Administration, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Virginia State Police, North Carolina State Highway Patrol, and numerous sheriff’s offices from both states.
Authorities said no additional information would be released Sunday night.
“Our thoughts remain with the family of Deputy Utt, the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office, and all those affected by this tragic loss,” the SBI said in a statement.
