Reports: Route 101 Crash Victim Targeted Women, Pretended to Be a Cop

EXETER, NH - The Hampton man killed after a high-speed chase on Route 101 in Exeter yesterday had a lengthy criminal history of targeting women, pretending to be a cop, fraud, theft, and other criminal acts, according to news reports online and sources familiar with the case that closed down a major New Hampshire thoroughfare for numerous hours.

Eric Williams, 33, of Hampton, was killed on Dec. 12, 2015, after crashing his blue 2007 Ford Crown Victoria between Exits 11 and 12 in Exeter after a police chase.

New Hampshire State Police from Troop A attempted to pull over Williams on the eastbound side of Route 101 in Exeter at around 3 p.m. for “multiple violations.” He failed to stop and kept driving at a high rate of speed.

Between Exit 11 and Exit 12, he swerved right and lost control of the vehicle, rolled over into the median, and crashed in the westbound lane of the highway, according to the report. Williams was “unrestrained and was ejected when the vehicle rolled over.” He was pronounced dead at the scene by a medical examiner. There were no other occupants in the vehicle.

Route 101 was closed for more than six hours as the State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Unit investigated the crash scene, the medical examiner was called in, and the crash debris cleared. Exeter Police, Exeter Fire and Rescue teams, and NH DOT assisted at the scene.

According to numerous witnesses, some of whom posted notes on the WMUR-TV website last night, Williams was reportedly wearing sunglasses and smiling while racing along the highway at speeds of more than 100 mph. Witnesses also stated that it seemed odd that a state trooper would be chasing another vehicle that looked like a police car.

ManchesterInformation.com was the first news outlet to report scanner chatter about Williams before he was officially identified. According to a post on Facebook, police were receiving witness statements that a man was driving at speeds of as high as 130 mph while using activated police lights on his vehicle while driving east on Route 101 through Candia and Raymond. It was quickly determined that the driver was not a police officer but someone impersonating an officer. The man, Williams, was reportedly wanted out of Massachusetts on a warrant and was out on probation after being convicted of impersonating a police officer. NHSP were preparing to lay down spike strips to stop Williams before he rolled over his Crown Vic and died.

In March 2011, according to a post on Dedham MA Patch, Williams was indicted in U.S. District Court for impersonating a U.S. Marshal and possession an official badge. According to court filings, he allegedly stole checks from women in both New Hampshire and Massachusetts and illegal obtained more than $4,000 this way. Williams told a Dedham, MA, woman that he worked for the U.S. Marshals and she told authorities that he drove a dark-colored Ford Explorer equipped with emergency lights, according to the affidavit.

After Williams was arrested on a warrant in Norwood, MA, on Jan. 26, 2011, he told U.S. Marshals that he purchased a fraudulent Marshals badge, parking permit and other credentials on the auction website EBay. He told authorities he used a stolen credit card to buy the credentials, according to the affidavit. Williams also used the same stolen credit card to buy the SUV. He also used the alias “Eric McCourt,” according to press reports. The affidavit went on to allege that Williams used his credentials to pick-up women and receive government discounts at area hotels.

In August 2011, according to the New Hampshire Union Leader, Williams reportedly told deputy marshals that he was “fascinated” by them and wanted to be a marshal ever since he was a kid. He used the badges and phony police credentials to hookup with women online and then steal money from them, according to the marshals. Williams was previously convicted in 2006 in Rockingham County for theft and posing as a deputy sheriff in Salem in 2004, according to the news report.

The Lawrence Eagle-Tribune reported in January 2011 that before Williams was arrested in Norwood, MA, he was arrested in Andover, MA, with an SUV equipped with a stolen government license plate. In 2004, he was arrested on a stolen car charge and police found “a treasure-trove of police equipment,” including a 1998 Crown Vic with a police license plate that was stolen from the Norfolk County Sheriff’s Department. The car was a former Michigan State Police cruiser purchased with a check stolen from his mother who lived in Salem at the time. He was also in possession of replica firearms, handcuffs, and leg restraints.

Williams had been “passing himself off as a Norfolk County deputy sheriff, and had created a police persona so convincing that neighbors, car salespeople and even his girlfriend believed he was an employee of the Norfolk County Sheriff’s Department,” according to the report.

According to WickedLocal.com, Williams was convicted of grand theft in the third degree (forgery) in Miami, FL, in 2005, and convicted of fraud and police impersonation in Dade County.

State police are still investigating the incident and are asking anyone with information to contact Trooper Bryan Plamondon at 603-223-8677.