UPDATED: Man wanted for murder found in Alpena home
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ALPENA ― A man wanted for murder in South Carolina is in the Alpena County Jail after police found him hiding in an Alpena home.
Alpena Police Department officers on Friday arrested Zechariah Utecht, 19, at a home in the 700 block of Long Lake Avenue while investigating an unrelated matter, the department announced on Monday.
Utecht awaits extradition to Spartanburg, South Carolina, where he faces a homicide charge related to a March 13 killing.
South Carolina police would not specify the nature of the alleged homicide but believe Utecht did not act alone, according to Lt. Kevin Bobo, public information officer with the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office.
His agency did not know Utecht was in Michigan, Bobo said.
Alpena police believe Utecht may have come to the area because of family connections, said Sgt. Steve Davis, Alpena Police Department detective.
Davis said he does not know how long Utecht has been in Alpena.
Police found Utecht hiding in a storage space off of an upstairs bedroom while clearing the house after entering to handle another matter. Davis would not specify the nature of the investigation that took them to the home.
When officers entered Utecht's name in the Michigan Law Enforcement Information Network, the name came back with a National Crime Information Center hit out of South Carolina showing the outstanding warrant.
Police took Utecht into custody without incident, Davis said.
Police will submit reports to Alpena County Prosecutor Cynthia Muszynski, who will have to decide whether to charge the resident of the home with harboring a fugitive or any other charges, Davis said.
Michigan State Police officers assisted with the arrest, and police called Alpena Fire Department paramedics to the scene to attend to a medical issue. Davis would not elaborate on the nature of the medical concern or say who required the medical help.
Officers also arrested Utecht's brother, James Utecht, who was hiding with Zechariah Utecht in the storage space. A LEIN search showed James Utecht was wanted on local warrants for failing to appear at court hearings on charges unrelated to his brother.
The Alpena County Jail will house Zechariah Utecht until the South Carolina police agency can arrange to transport the inmate.
The arrest highlights the importance of a local police department, because "Small investigations can turn into something much larger," Davis said.
Julie Riddle can be reached at 989-358-5693 or jriddle@thealpenanews.com. Follow her on Twitter @jriddleX.