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Man accused of killing Maine police officer arrested, ending 4-day manhunt

Posted at 8:29 PM, Apr 28, 2018
and last updated 2018-04-28 20:29:57-04

Police in central Maine have arrested a man accused of killing a police officer this week, ending a four-day manhunt, a sheriff said Saturday afternoon.

John Williams, 29, of Madison, Maine, was captured, Somerset County Sheriff Dale Lancaster said, following a searchthat authorities said encompassed 25 square miles of largely remote wilderness.

Details about how Williams was found weren’t immediately available. A $20,000 reward had been offered for information leading to his capture, the FBI said.

Investigators believe Williams shot and killed Cpl. Eugene Cole sometime between 1 and 2 a.m. Wednesday in the town of Norridgewock, authorities said.

Williams then drove Cole’s squad vehicle to a convenience store in the same town and committed a theft there, Maine State Police said. Authorities released surveillance images they said show Williams walking out of the store.

The suspect had been scheduled to appear Wednesday in a Massachusetts court related to a March 22 arrest on suspicion of having a gun without a license.

The officer’s vehicle was found abandoned Wednesday morning off a road in Norridgewock, state police said.