Man Accused Of Killing VA Deputy And Fleeing Arrested After Being Spotted On Trail Camera

A man accused of shooting two Carroll County deputies, one fatally, was arrested a day later after being spotted on a wildlife camera, police say.

According to the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office, two of its deputies were called to do a welfare check at a residence at 13658 Fancy Gap Highway just before 9:30 p.m. on Friday. Arriving at the address, they encountered a man identified as Michael Puckett. The sheriff’s office says Puckett fired on the two deputies, killing Deputy Logan Utt and hitting the other in his ballistic vest.

Puckett then fled, authorities say.

According to the Wytheville Police Department, Puckett was spotted on a wildlife camera in Surry County, NC, just before 7 a.m. on Sunday. He was arrested in the area later that day.

According to WXII 12, Puckett’s condition upon arrest was “good enough,” and he was responding to verbal commands.

The Virginia State Police; the FBI; U.S. Marshals; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office; and local North Carolina law enforcement bodies all assisted in the search and investigation, authorities say.

Puckett will be extradited to Carroll County.

According to a statement by the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office, Deputy Utt joined the department in 2023 after serving in the U.S. military.