Community on edge as alleged killer remains on the run

Norridgewock, Maine, is small enough that at Fonzo’s Pizza and Seafood they knew slain Sheriff’s Deputy Eugene Cole and fugitive John Williams. Both came in to eat there.

“It’s a terrible situation. We were on edge and now we’re more angry than anything,” Fonzo’s owner Al Dixon said.

Dixon, 48, said like others in town, his guns are at the ready. He sat with his parents the other night, he said, and everyone is keeping an eye on each other’s property.

“We own guns, so we’re protecting ourselves for sure,” said Dixon. “They’re ready. That’s all I’m going to say.”

Dixon said everyone knew slain deputy Cole, who ate in Dixon’s restaurant.

When Dixon’s son was a teen and not old enough to ride four wheelers, Cole gave the youngster a warning and called Dixon. “He was just a good guy. Gave everybody a chance,” Dixon said. “It’s tragic. It’s hard to believe in a small town.”

Williams had also come into his restaurant.

“I really didn’t deal with him,” Dixon said. “He was just quiet.”

Williams was a regular at Tradewinds Market in Norridgewock, coming in often for milkshakes, pizza and chicken.

“I noticed he had sores all over his face and he pulled out a huge wad of money one time,” cashier Sam Joy said. “He always seemed kind of sketchy. I just thought he was on drugs. I see a lot of people like that around here.”

Before Williams, 29, became the focus of an intense manhunt over Cole’s slaying, he had been arrested on an illegal gun possession charge in Massachusetts last month, previously faced drug charges in Tennessee, where authorities

said he overdosed, and did short stints in jail in Maine for burglary and theft.

Cole’s body was found Wednesday morning. The father of four was 61.

Norridgewock Town Manager Richard LaBelle said the fallen officer was even liked by those he arrested.

“There are folks that he’s arrested that have nothing but good things to say about him,” LaBelle said. “That speaks volumes about his character and what he has instilled in our community.”

Tradewinds was closing early last night so employees could head home before dark, Joy said. The massive amount of police officers in town, she said, makes her feel safer.

“I just hope they catch him soon,” Joy told me. “It’s pretty overwhelming and stressful. Everyone is on edge.

“I’m locking my doors and watching out as much as I can,” said Joy, who has lived in the area all her life. “I have cops up and down the sides of my road. I feel pretty protected but I’m still alert and ready.”

She called the cop’s death heartbreaking. “It’s hard to take what the world’s coming to nowadays,” Joy said.

‘We own guns, so we’re protecting ourselves for sure. They’re ready. That’s all I’m going to say.’ — AL DIXON Fonzo’s Pizza and Seafood owner