A man accused of fatally shooting a sheriff’s deputy during a welfare check in Virginia was arrested Sunday after a days-long manhunt, authorities said.
According to the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office, the shooting happened Friday night at a home on Fancy Gap Highway, about 20 miles outside Mount Airy. Deputies had responded to conduct a welfare check when they encountered the suspect, identified as Michael Puckett. Officials said Puckett opened fire on the deputies, striking both of them. Deputy Logan Utt was killed in the attack, while the condition of the other deputy was not immediately known.
After the shooting, Puckett fled the scene, triggering a large search effort involving multiple law enforcement agencies. The Mount Airy Police Department assisted in the manhunt as authorities worked to locate the suspect across the region.
On Sunday, investigators with the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation said agents spotted Puckett using a drone while he was moving door-to-door. Authorities said he was arrested as he was ringing the doorbell of another residence. The arrest ended the search that had stretched for several days after the deadly confrontation.
Puckett was taken to the Surry County Detention Center in Dobson and is being held without bond. He is scheduled to appear in court on Monday.
The Carroll County Sheriff’s Office thanked local agencies for helping in the search and apprehension, underscoring the multi-agency effort that led to the arrest. The case has drawn attention because it began with a routine welfare check and escalated into a fatal shooting that claimed the life of a deputy serving in the line of duty.
Authorities have not released additional details about a possible motive or the status of the injured deputy. The investigation remains ongoing as law enforcement continues to review the circumstances surrounding the shooting, the escape, and the eventual arrest.
