Michael Donivan White pleaded guilty Thursday to federal charges in connection with the death of Big Stone Gap Police Officer Michael Chandler in November 2021, as well as a broad narcotics conspiracy.
White, 36, of South Carolina, pleaded guilty to eight counts related to Chandler’s murder. He pled guilty to one count of causing the death of a person using a firearm, which killing was first-degree murder, in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, one count of conspiring to distribute or possess with the intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, one count of using a place for the purpose of distributing or using a controlled substance, one count of using a communication facility in committing any felony-controlled substance offense, and
“Big Stone Gap Police Officer Michael Chandler died while serving his community. “The men and women among us who take the oath and wear the badge keep all of us safe,” said US Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh. “While nothing we do in a courtroom can ever bring Michael back, our hope is that today’s guilty plea brings some semblance of peace to his family, friends, and brethren in law enforcement that today, justice was done.”
Greenville Man Faces KIDNAPPING and ASSAULT Charges After Weekend Incident
According to court records, White and 18 other defendants conspired to distribute more than 15 kilograms of methamphetamine, heroin, and fentanyl beginning in August 2021 and continuing even after his arrest in October 2022.
On November 13, 2021, around 4 a.m., Chandler responded to a dispatch call at 2505 Orr Street in Big Stone Gap, also known as “the red house.” When Chandler arrived, he noticed a vehicle outside the home. He called for backup, telling dispatch, “This car is taking off on me.” Inside the vehicle, White instructed a female co-defendant, Misty Ward, to “get the fu*k out of there” because drugs were in the car and that “he was not going back to jail.”
Ward began to drive away as commanded but then came to a stop and exited the vehicle. As Ward exited the truck, Chandler urged her to show him her hands, which were covered by her jacket. Ward complied by raising her hands in the air. At this point, White attempted to depart the scene, but the vehicle became stuck in the grass. Chandler approached the vehicle from the driver’s side and hit the window with his flashlight.
White pulled a Taurus 9mm pistol and fired eight shots through the driver’s side window and door, hitting Chandler’s wrist and abdomen right below his bulletproof vest. He died later that evening from his injuries.
“First and foremost, our thoughts and prayers for recovery go out to the family of Big Stone Gap Police Officer Michael Chandler. “At the heart of this tragic event is a previously convicted felon obtaining illegal access to a firearm,” said ATF Washington Field Division Special Agent in Charge Craig Kailimai. “We hope Mr. White receives a significant sentence that holds him accountable for all of his criminal actions. Keeping our communities safe and assisting our law enforcement partners is what motivates ATF in the battle against violent crime.”
Following the shooting, law police identified White as the culprit. White was subsequently discovered in a motel in Kingsport, Tenn., and a subsequent check of the room yielded a Taurus 9mm pistol. Further tests revealed that the handgun used to shoot Chandler was the identical one that fired the fatal shots.
The investigation was carried out by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Virginia State Police, the United States Marshal’s Service, the Wise County Sheriff’s Office, the City of Norton Virginia Police Department, the Kingsport Tennessee Police Department, the Big Stone Gap Police Department, the Wise County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office, the East Tennessee Drug Task Force, and the Southwest Virginia Drug Task Force.
Source: augustafreepress.com