The Greenfield man who set off a large manhunt on Friday afternoon after dragging a state trooper on Interstate 91 in Holyoke is hospitalized and is expected to face an arraignment in court on Tuesday.
Michael J. Williams, Jr., 45, is charged with eight counts in connection with a multi-agency manhunt that involved several State Police patrols, canine units, local police patrols along bike trails, railroad tracks, a drone, and a boat in the Connecticut River.
Williams was expected to be arraigned on Monday but remains hospitalized after being injured in a crash after attempting to evade police on Friday.
Massachusetts State Police provided more details about the moments before Williams’s capture.
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 was hospitalized because he reported being in pain after his arrested, according to Procopio. 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.
A clerk with the Holyoke Police Department confirmed that Williams is expected to appear on Tuesday to answer for the charges. James Leydon, the spokesperson for the Hampden District Attorney’s Office, said while Williams is on the clerk log for tomorrow, his appearance will depend on his condition.
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.
Friday’s manhunt
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.
The manhunt began when a trooper tried to stop Williams, who 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., Doherty and Roxy found Williams and took him into custody.
He’s being held without bail for a violation of conditions of his probation from a previous conviction, according to police.
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.
