Fugitive suspect in killing of deputy captured, arrested

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Norridgewock, E.U. | April 28

A man accused of killing a sheriff’s deputy was arrested Saturday outside a remote cabin, ending an intense manhunt in its fourth day in the woods of central Maine.

A law enforcement team used the slain deputy’s handcuffs to arrest 29-year-old John Williams in a symbolic gesture, Sheriff Dale Lancaster said.

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“We can now focus on the important task of respectfully laying our fallen brother to rest. Tonight, the citizens of Somerset County can sleep well and knowing that a dangerous man has been taken off the streets,” the sheriff said.

Williams was wanted in the fatal shooting of Cpl. Eugene Cole early Wednesday after the two had an encounter on a darkened road in Norridgewock.

Cole became the first law enforcement officer to be killed in the line of duty in nearly 30 years in Maine.

Shirtless and shoeless, Williams appeared to be exhausted when he was led out of the woods Saturday. Officers put him into the back seat of an unmarked state police vehicle and detectives whisked him away.

“I’m just glad it ended peacefully, and no one else got hurt,” said Tasha Raymond, whose kids have been forced to play indoors for the past four days.

The arrest brought some closure to the deputy’s family and relief to residents who’ve been “on edge,” said Larry Tilton, a friend of Cole’s.