BIG STONE GAP, Va. (WJHL) – A man matching the Virginia State Police’s description of the suspect who fatally shot a Big Stone Gap police officer has been extradited back to Wise County.
On Saturday, Nov. 13, Officer Michael Chandler was found in a ditch in Big Stone Gap with a gunshot wound after he had responded to a welfare check. Chandler succumbed to his injuries at the Johnson City Medical Center later Saturday night.
The Virginia State Police reported Saturday night that a 33-year-old Big Stone Gap man was taken into custody at the Travel Inn in Kingsport in relation to the shooting.
According to VSP, the suspect was arrested by the Kingsport Police Department not long after 8 p.m. Investigators said the unnamed suspect was being held by police on charges of probation violations out of South Carolina and Wise County.
State police have not identified the suspect as of Tuesday. However, an arrest report from the Kingsport Police Department details an arrest at the Travel Inn at 8:12 p.m. on Saturday.
The arrest report states that Michael Donivan White, 33, was arrested at the motel on an outstanding arrest warrant from Wise County for violation of probation.
KPD reports White was transported to the Kingsport City Jail and held on a fugitive from justice charge on Saturday.
The Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office told News Channel 11 that White had been extradited back to Wise County Monday on the probation violation.
News Channel 11 reached out to VSP to confirm that White is a suspect in the shooting and received the following response:
“The state police does not publicly release names of individuals who have not been formally charged for an offense. Once an individual is charged with a crime, then that individual’s name and information become public record – are eligible for release.”
Corinne Geller, Virginia State Police spokesperson
Wise County Commonwealth’s Attorney Chuck Slemp told News Channel 11 on Sunday that charges related to the shooting were expected to be “placed in the coming days.”
