Former Dedham Police Impersonator Killed in Highway Crash

A Massachusetts man previously indicted for impersonating a U.S. Marshal in Dedham was killed after a high-speed chase on Route 101 in Exeter, N.H., on Saturday. The 33-year-old had a lengthy criminal history of targeting women, pretending to be a cop, fraud, theft, and other criminal acts, according to reporters.

Eric Williams, of Hampton, N.H., 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, according to authorities.

Police say they attempted to pull over Williams on the eastbound side of Route 101 in Exeter at around 3 p.m. for “multiple violations.” He drove off and eventually lost control of the vehicle. He rolled over into the median, and crashed in the westbound lane of the highway, according to the report. Williams was ejected when the vehicle rolled over.”

Williams has a long criminal history.

In 2011, he 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 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, Mass., 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.

New Hampshire State police are still investigating the fatal crash.