Holly MatkinWise, VA – The convicted felon accused of murdering Big Stone Gap Police Officer Michael Chandler was seen laughing, yawning, and smirking as a judge read off his 13-count indictment in court Tuesday morning.
Michael Donivan White, 33, spent much of his Wise County court hearing slouched back in his chair with a smile plastered across his face, video footage showed.
White made his appearance virtually from the Abingdon Regional Jail, the Times News reported.
He was already on probation for two counts of grand larceny when he allegedly murdered Officer Chandler on Nov. 13.
White now faces a new 13-count indictment in connection with the officer’s death, WJHL reported.
The suspect broke into a smile and chuckled as the judge read off his list of charges, which include aggravated murder, felony murder, possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, possession of a firearm while simultaneously possessing a schedule I or II substance, possession of a firearm by a felon, and use of a firearm in the commission of a murder, among others.
White, who was handcuffed behind his back for the duration of the hearing, also threw his head back and let out dramatic yawns on multiple occasions, video footage showed.
The judge further noted the accused gunman is facing allegations he violated his probation.
“That’s the least of my worries,” White said, cutting the judge off. “Ain’t nobody worried about a probation violation.”
The aggravated murder charge carries a mandatory minimum of life in prison, WJHL reported.
White’s murder trial is currently set to begin on April 11, 2022, according to the Times News.
Officer Chandler was murdered in the line of duty while conducting a welfare check on his 29th birthday, the Virginia State Police (VSP) said in a press release.
Officer Chandler was out on patrol in Big Stone Gap shortly after 4 a.m. on Nov. 13 when he stopped to speak with a citizen.
The person asked Officer Chandler to conduct a welfare check on an individual seen at a vacant residence located in the 2500-block of Orr Street, according to police.
The lone officer responded to the home, where he encountered at least one individual.
“It was during this encounter that Officer Chandler was shot,” the VSP said.
A Wise County sheriff’s deputy arrived at the scene a short while later and found Officer Chandler lying unconscious in a ditch beside the driveway of the home, according to the press release.
The wounded officer’s patrol vehicle and a second vehicle were parked nearby, but the suspect had fled.
Officer Chandler was rushed to Norton Community Hospital before he was flown to Johnson City Medical Center in Tennessee, the VSP said.
Investigators with the Kingsport Police Department’s (KPD), the U.S. Marshals Service, and the Bristol Virginia Police Department (BPD) located the alleged gunman hiding out at a Travel Inn hotel on Lynn Garden Drive in Kingsport shortly after 8 p.m. on Nov. 13, according to police.
The 33-year-old suspect was arrested without incident on probation violation charges out of both South Carolina and Wise County, Virginia.
He was later identified as White.
Officer Chandler succumbed to his wounds with his family at his side at approximately 7 p.m., Big Stone Gap Police Chief Stephen Hamm said in the press release.
On his 29th birthday, Big Stone Gap, VA Officer Michael Chandler was shot & killed by a man later found to be wanted for violating his probation.
Our hearts go out to Michael’s friends, family, and colleagues. #NeverForget pic.twitter.com/jyhSrPa4qA
— Commissioner Shea (@NYPDShea) November 14, 2021
“It is with a heavy heart that I must inform our community of the line of duty death of Officer Michael D. Chandler,” Chief Hamm wrote. “His battle to survive today was truly miraculous…Mike’s loss will be felt by our town and across all of Wise County.”
In addition to his role as a BSGPD officer, he also served as a Big Stone Gap Fire Department volunteer firefighter.
“Please keep his family in your prayers tonight, as this should have been a day to celebrate his 29th birthday – not a day to mourn his passing,” Chief Hamm said.
Not only was Officer Chandler a “dedicated public servant,” he was also a “devoted husband and father, and a trusted member of the Big Stone Gap community,” Virginia Governor Ralph Northam said in a press release on Nov. 14.
“Like law enforcement officers across the Commonwealth, he put his life on the line everyday in service to his fellow Virginians. And at only 29 years old, he made the ultimate sacrifice,” Northam wrote. “Please join me in sending prayers to his family, fellow officers, and all who loved him. I’m ordering Virginia flags be lowered on the day of his interment, in honor of Michael Chandler’s memory and sacrifice.”
