Man wanted in Mich. murder arrested in DeKalb
By KATE SCHOTT kschott@daily-chronicle.com
DeKALB – A Michigan man wanted in connection with a murder in that state was arrested Monday morning in DeKalb by DeKalb County Sheriff's police.
James W. McKinney, 49, of Pittsford, Mich., was arrested around 10:45 a.m. Monday at Hope Haven homeless shelter without incident, Sheriff Roger Scott said.
A Michigan warrant issued Monday charges McKinney with homicide, unlawful driving away of a vehicle and felony firearms violations, according to a written statement from the Hillsdale County Sheriff's Office. Authorities there say he shot his roommate, 71-year-old James Harper, in the head and then fled in the van belonging to Harper.
The death was reported Saturday to Michigan authorities after Harper was found by his girlfriend, according to Hillsdale authorities. Most of McKinney's belongings were gone from the residence.
McKinney's first contact with DeKalb authorities was in the early hours of Friday morning, when he was pulled over on Route 64 west of First Street by a DeKalb County Sheriff's deputy for a lane violation, according to a written statement from the sheriff's office. He was charged with driving with a suspended license and for attempted obstruction of justice after he tried to give a false name, according to the statement. The name he gave was that of the victim, James Harper, Scott said.
He was taken to the county jail, and the vehicle he was driving – in which authorities found two legal handguns – was impounded, according to Scott. There were no outstanding warrants at that time for McKinney, and he was released Saturday from the DeKalb County Jail, Scott said. He was taken to Hope Haven, where shelter workers told him he could stay for two days as a transient.
The Hillsdale County Sheriff's Office in Michigan contacted the DeKalb County Sheriff's Office on Monday morning after seeing the report of McKinney's arrest in a computer database.
"The sheriff from Michigan contacted us when he saw in the computer that our officer had made the stop and the arrest," Scott said. "We went out and were able to arrest him again without incident."
McKinney was getting ready to leave Monday when authorities called the shelter and asked workers to keep him there, Hope Haven Executive Director Lesly Wicks said.
"Today was the day we were going to set him out in the community," Wicks said. "We figured there was some reason they really wanted to not have him in the community."
The shelter does police checks on everyone who comes to the shelter, but McKinney came back clear when Hope Haven ran its check Saturday, Wicks said. He was no trouble while at Hope Haven, Wicks said, and understood he could stay for only two days.
"I'm glad no one was hurt," Wicks said of the arrest. "None of the clients and staff were in danger. It didn't appear that he had any weapons. We were just glad we could help. We serve dual purposes – to serve the homeless, and serve the community and keep it safe."
McKinney is awaiting extradition to Michigan. He is in custody at the DeKalb County Jail in Sycamore.
"It was excellent work by our sheriff's deputy, and by the sheriff's office out there," Scott said. "They were able to see we had made contact with him before they even knew about the crime. Everyone really did an excellent job."
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