Arrest warrant issued for suspect in multiple shootings

Michael Vance

An arrest warrant was issued Monday in Oklahoma County District Court for Michael Dale Vance, 38.

Vance’s last know address was in Chandler, Oklahoma.

An affidavit filed in the request for the arrest warrant, written by Deputy Michael Belanger of the Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Department, stated  there was probable cause to believe Vance should be charged with two counts of murder in the first degree, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and possession of a firearm after a former conviction of a felony.

Vance was charged in Lincoln County on July 22 with child sexual abuse after former conviction of two or more felonies.

On Sunday, Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Department investigators were asked to assist the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office in finding a suspect who shot two police officers in Wellston, Oklahoma. Wellston officers Sean Stewart and Jimmy Hampton responded to a disturbance call in Lincoln County involving Vance and Tony Heavner. The two subjects shot at the officers, striking both. The officers returned fire.

Heavner was apprehended shortly after the exchange of gunfire, and Vance fled in a police vehicle, according to the affidavit.

The affidavit also states that while fleeing in the police vehicle, Vance posted a video on Facebook, stating he was in pain. It appeared there was blood on his shirt. He also stated on the video that he was about to steal another car and “this … is going to be intense.”

Vance posted a second Facebook video from a second vehicle. Belanger’s affidavit states that reports by investigators indicate he stole a Lincoln Towncar and shot a woman in the process of the theft. His second video shows what appears to be a rifle or shotgun next to him in the vehicle.  He states in the video that he was shot, and it appears there is a large amount of blood on his shirt.

The affidavit states that at about 9:30 p.m. Sunday, the Lincoln Towncar was located in Luther, Oklahoma, in Oklahoma County. The Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office’s Tactical Team was deployed to the address to enter the house with the plan of taking Vance into custody. While organizing the details, a helicopter was used  to view the area from above.

The affidavit states that during that investigation, a body was noticed outside the residence and a bomb robot with a built-in camera was used to investigate the scene. The operator of the robot confirmed the body was that of Ronald Wilkson.

Agents then entered  the home and found a second deceased victim, Valerie Kay Wilkson. Agents left the home and a search warrant was obtained, then executed about midnight.

Belanger’s  affidavit reports the search of the home led the the recovery of a pink T-shirt believed to be that worn by Vance during his Facebook videos, and two shell casings believed to have been fired from an AK-47 style rifle like the one in Vance’s video.

Initial reports indicated that Ronald Wilkson was shot one time. Other wounds were consistent with an attempt to sever his head, including a large cut on his neck. Valerie Wilkson  had multiple stab wounds  as well as defensive wounds on her arms, the affidavit stated. She also had a large cut on the side of her neck, similar to  the wound on her husband’s neck. There was also a large cut on her shoulder area, which led investigators to believe Vance tried to remove her arm.

Family members told investigators that a Mitsubishi Eclips belonging to Valerie Wilkson was missing from the home. At 4 a.m. Monday, Belanger stated, he received a call from the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation reporting a man matching Vance’s description had shot a store clerk at a gas station in Sayre, Oklahoma. She was shot twice in the leg, but told officers the suspect was driving a vehicle matching the description of Wilkson’s stolen car.

The arrest warrant signed by Judge Graves denies bond.

Vance is a former resident of the Ponca City area. He has past cases filed in Kay County District Court including a felony charge of larceny of an automobile in 2004 and a misdemeanor charge of possession of marijuana in 2009.

His record in Lincoln County includes a bogus check charge in 2001, assault and battery  in 1999, and the current charge of felony child sexual abuse after former conviction of two or more felonies.