A sport utility vehicle that belongs to a Michigan man suspected of strangling his wife has been found in Farmington.
The snow-covered 2009 Subaru Forester belonging to 66-year-old Harold “Butch” Knight was found Saturday in a Wal-Mart parking lot by a Farmington police officer.
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The Allegan County Sheriff’s Office in Michigan issued a press release Thursday that said Knight’s SUV appears to have been abandoned and may have been in the store’s lot since mid-January. Its Michigan license plate had been removed.
The department’s news release also included a Wal-Mart store surveillance photograph of Knight dressed in full-length camouflage coveralls, with dyed hair and a mustache, and wearing a bomber hat. Knight is seen at the entrance of the Wal-Mart Supercenter at 615 Wilton Road, according to Farmington Police officer Bill Tanner, who is familiar with the case.
Farmington police say they do not know why Knight visited Farmington. He and his wife, 48-year-old Sara Lee Knight, lived in Turner for several years before moving to Ganges Township, Michigan. Allegan County sheriffs deputies discovered Sara Lee Knight’s body on Jan. 13 at her home after receiving a 911 call from a man police believe was her husband.
Capt. Frank Baker of the Allegan County Sheriff’s Office said Thursday that he couldn’t say whether Knight is likely still in Maine.
“It’s really hard to speculate,” Baker said Thursday. “It looks like … the vehicle was abandoned back in January, so it’s possible he’s still in Maine, but it’s also possible he’s left the area. I think he realizes the public is watching for him and as a result of that maybe wanted to change vehicles.”
Baker said the public should use caution if they spot Knight.
“He had a weapon in Michigan. We would consider him armed and dangerous,” Baker said Thursday. “If someone should see him they should avoid him and contact law enforcement as soon as possible.”
Soon after the discovery of Sara Lee Knight’s body, Michigan police issued an arrest warrant for Knight, a truck driver. The sheriff’s office posted a wanted notice on its Facebook page that says Knight bought a Glock model handgun and 40 rounds of civil defense ammunition on Jan. 12, the day before authorities found his wife’s body.
Farmington police said Thursday that the U.S. Marshals Service is involved in the hunt for Knight, who is described as 6 feet 4 inches tall and weighing 265 pounds.
During the couple’s time in Maine, Sara Lee Knight studied at the University of Southern Maine and worked as registered respiratory therapist at Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston from July 2007 through March 2010, according to her LinkedIn profile.
She was most recently employed by Maxim Healthcare of Grand Rapids, Michigan, as a respiratory therapist, according to her obituary.
Staff Writer Dennis Hoey can be contacted at 791-6365 or at:
dhoey@pressherald.com
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