An initial court appearance was delayed for a second day for the Greenfield man who police said set off a manhunt after he dragged a state trooper during an attempted traffic stop in Holyoke last Friday.
The Hampden District Attorney’s Office previously said that Michael J. Williams Jr.’s appearance for his arraignment would be determined on a “day-to-day” basis due to his physical condition.
Williams 45, has been charged with eight counts in connection with a multi-agency manhunt that involved several State Police and local police patrols along the Connecticut River after he attempted to evade police during a traffic stop.
He was expected to be arraigned on Monday, and then Tuesday, but he remains hospitalized after being injured in a crash while fleeing police.
Why is Williams hospitalized?
Williams is currently in the hospital after he reported being in pain after his arrest, according to State Police spokesperson David Procopio. After the roughly two-hour manhunt on Friday that ended with his arrest in a brushy area, he was evaluated by emergency medical services who brought him to the hospital.
Procopio said the assumption is Williams injured himself after crashing his car while evading arrest.
Williams has a prosthetic leg and a history of run-ins with law enforcement, according to court documents obtained by WesternMassNews.
He was arrested in 2012 and charged with assault and battery on a police officer in both February 2012 and November 2020. Six months ago, Williams was charged with operating under the influence, the outlet reported.
What happened during the manhunt?
The manhunt began when a trooper tried to stop Williams, whom police say was driving a 2007 Chevrolet Malibu, due to driving violations at the Holyoke rest stop on the northbound side of Interstate 91 around 3 p.m.
The trooper stood outside the Malibu and “was trying to secure the suspect” when Williams drove off, according to State Police.
The trooper was dragged a short distance, and Williams struck the trooper’s cruiser as he attempted to flee, police say.
After getting free from Williams’s car, the trooper called in the incident, setting off a large manhunt.
Several minutes later, Williams went off the road and crashed his car, running into the woods near Route 5 in Holyoke.
Troopers set up a perimeter around the area while police from Northampton and Easthampton searched along the Manhan Rail Trail, a bike trail that passes through Easthampton, Holyoke, and Northampton, and railroad tracks with canine units.
Northampton Police launched a drone to help in the search and Easthampton police used a boat in the Connecticut River.
At about 5:35 p.m., State police K9 unit Sgt. Jack Doherty and canine partner Roxy found Williams in an area of extremely thick brush off Symanski Avenue — a stretch of land in between Interstate 91 and Connecticut River in Holyoke close to Route 5 — according to Massachusetts State Police spokesperson David Procopio.
Doherty told Williams to surrender or “face apprehension by Roxy” but Williams did not cooperate, Procopio said. Police then entered the brush and arrested Williams without incident.
“There was no physical contact between the dog and the suspect,” Procopio said.
Williams has been charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon; negligent operation of a motor vehicle; operating after license was suspended for prior OUI offense; leaving the scene of a crash that caused personal injury; failure to stop for the police; speeding; marked lane violation; and resisting arrest.
He’s being held without bail for a violation of conditions of his probation from a previous conviction, according to police.
The trooper dragged by Williams was brought to Cooley Dickinson Hospital in Northampton for a lower-body injury and was treated and released, police said.
State Police Association of Massachusetts President Patrick McNamara issued a statement after the arrest. He said “Enough is enough” after a trooper was dragged in Brockton by a 31-year-old man attempting to flee a traffic stop.
“This reckless and blatant disregard for the lives of our members needs to stop,” McNamara said in an email.
In 2015, the Greenfield Police Department publicized Williams as a Level 3 registered sex offender on their Facebook page.
