U.S Attorney’s Office sees to forfeit homes connected to murder of police officer

BIG STONE GAP, Va. (WVVA) - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Virginia has filed a civil complaint to forfeit two Big Stone Gap homes connected to the murder of Big Stone Gap Police Officer Michael Chandler.

Officer Chandler was killed on November 13, 2021, when responding to a welfare check call.

According to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the complaint that was unsealed last week is bringing a civil action again 2505 Orr Street and 2512 Orr Street in Big Stone Gap, Virginia to the custody of the U.S. on the grounds that they were used to commit criminal activities.

United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh made this statement concerning the complaint:

“On November 13, 2021, Officer Michael Chandler was responding to provide a welfare check on one of these homes at approximately 4:00 AM, where he was shot and killed. Our criminal investigation into Officer Chandler’s death resulted in federal charges against Michael White for the murder, as well as federal narcotics charges against White and 18 co-conspirators.

Our investigation also revealed that these two homes were hubs for a narcotics conspiracy that funneled narcotics to Southwest Virginia, and the owners knew about it and allowed it to proceed. In just the 15-month period prior to White’s death, there were approximately 78 calls for service for local police to respond to these two homes, including 911 calls. The United States Attorney’s will continue to use all the federal laws and tools at our disposal to protect our communities and our citizens.”

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