A Mount Airy homeowner, John Kiley, recognized fugitive Michael Puckett on his front steps Sunday and refused him entry, alerting nearby officers. The North Carolina SBI used a drone to track Puckett as he moved between houses on Skyview Lane; agents arrested him as he rang a doorbell and found him armed. Puckett is accused of fatally shooting Carroll County Deputy Logan Utt during a welfare check on May 29; a multi-agency manhunt that crossed the Virginia–North Carolina line led to his capture and booking in Surry County without bond.
Neighbor’s Quick Action Leads to Arrest of Fugitive Accused in Fatal Deputy Shooting
Image Credit: WXII 12
A Mount Airy, North Carolina, homeowner’s quick thinking helped end a multi-day manhunt when he recognized a fugitive accused of fatally shooting a deputy and prevented the suspect from entering his house.
What happened: John Kiley said he had propped his front doors open Sunday evening to air out smoke from a burnt pizza when a shirtless man draped in an orange horse blanket and wearing green shorts approached his Skyview Lane home and asked for a bottle of water. Kiley recognized the man from widespread alerts as Michael Puckett — the suspect sought after a fatal shooting in Carroll County, Virginia — and refused him entry.
Kiley met Puckett on the front steps and told him he would not be allowed inside. When officers arrived nearby, Kiley waved them down and alerted them to Puckett’s presence. As Kiley later recalled, "... He's right there!"
How authorities captured Puckett
The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) used a drone to track Puckett as he moved door to door on Skyview Lane. Agents observed him ring the doorbell at a neighboring house and took him into custody without incident; he was armed with a handgun at the time, the SBI said. Puckett was booked into the Surry County Detention Center in Dobson without bond and was scheduled to appear in court.
Background: The shooting and manhunt
According to the Carroll County Sheriff's Office, two deputies were dispatched to a residence on Fancy Gap Highway in Carroll County, Va., on Friday, May 29, at about 9:26 p.m. The call was a welfare check from a family member. When deputies made contact with Michael Puckett, authorities say he opened fire.
Deputy Logan Utt was fatally wounded and died at the scene; a second deputy was struck in his ballistic vest and survived. Carroll County officials identified Deputy Utt as a 31-year-old husband and father, a military veteran, a Mount Airy firefighter and a 2023 hire with the sheriff’s office.
The shooting launched a multi-agency manhunt that crossed the Virginia–North Carolina line and lasted more than two days. The SBI said the search included support from the Surry County Sheriff's Office, the Mount Airy Police Department, the FBI, the DEA, the ATF and the U.S. Marshals Service. A wildlife camera on Greenhill Road in Surry County captured Puckett at 6:56 a.m. Sunday, the first confirmed sighting since the shooting.
Outcome: Thanks to the homeowner’s identification and coordination with responding officers, drone surveillance, and the combined efforts of multiple agencies, Puckett was arrested without further injury to the public. He remains in custody and faces charges related to the fatal shooting.
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