Ohio fugitive under arrest

The armed fugitive who police say led them on a pursuit Tuesday through Evergreen and eastern Kalispell and who faces murder charges in Ohio made an initial appearance Wednesday in Flathead County Justice Court.

Eric Romel "Big Willie" Wilson, 35, is being held in the Flathead County Detention Center in lieu of $1.25 million bail.

Wilson is charged in Flathead County with one count of criminal endangerment for the accident he allegedly caused while fleeing police.

He is wanted in connection with the killing of 12-year-old Asteve' "Cookie" Thomas in Cleveland. He also faces drug and weapons charges there.

His extradition hearing is set for Oct. 10.

Wilson's arrest wrapped up a 10-day manhunt that stretched across six states.

He was taken into custody at about noon Tuesday after crashing the van in which he was fleeing from police into two other cars near the intersection of East Idaho Street and Fourth Avenue East North, law enforcement said.

He originally gave his name to Flathead County sheriff's deputies as William Darrell Sweeney, an Ohio man to whom the van Wilson crashed was registered.

It was not known Wednesday whether that van was stolen.

Wilson fled after Thomas was killed Sept. 1 in the Slavic Village neighborhood of Cleveland during a gun battle with another man, James Yhonquea, as reported in the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

An innocent bystander, Thomas was shot in the neck and killed.

Yhonquea, 20, also was shot in the gunfight and has been charged with aggravated murder in Cuyahoga County, Ohio.

After the shooting, Wilson went on the run. Two days later, he reportedly called television stations in Cleveland to apologize for Thomas' death. He claimed he was being robbed at gunpoint and was trying to get his property back when the girl was shot.

The FBI had offered a $5,000 reward for information leading to Wilson's arrest.

On Tuesday morning - 10 days after the shooting - an Indian Affairs officer pulled Wilson over Tuesday morning on U.S. 2 in Browning; the van Wilson was driving had temporary Ohio license tags, law enforcement said.

Wilson gave police the alias Scott Jefferson and was let go. However, that alias happened to match a man wanted in Iowa on a $10,000 counterfeiting warrant. Wilson wasn't arrested on Jefferson's warrant then because that information was returned only after officers allowed him to drive away.

When that information did come back, officers in Browning notified Flathead County law enforcement that Wilson, believed to be Jefferson, was heading their way.

The pursuit began when Flathead County sheriff's deputies attempted to stop Wilson on U.S. 2 near the intersection of Rose Crossing. He initially pulled over for deputies but fled southbound on U.S. 2 when additional squad cars arrived.

As the pursuit neared Kalispell, Kalispell police deployed spike strips on U.S. 2 near the Wal-Mart in Evergreen and flattened the van's two driver's side tires. Despite the shredded tires, Wilson continued into Kalispell at about 25 mph.

As the van entered the intersection of East Idaho Street and Fourth Avenue East North, it crossed into the eastbound lanes and collided with two cars stopped next to each other in the road in front of the Smith's grocery store parking lot.

The van hit a Chevrolet Impala nearly head-on and crunched the left front corner of a Lexus SUV.

Wilson exited the crippled van through the passenger-side door and took off on foot across the store parking lot.

Officers could see he was holding something in his waistband, and just before they caught up to him in the southwestern corner of the parking lot near Third Avenue East North, Wilson dropped a holstered 9mm Ruger P95.

One officer tackled Wilson, and as they struggled another officer shot him in the leg with a Taser. After Wilson continued to resist, officers were forced to use the Taser on him again, Nasset said.

Police aren't sure whether Wilson dropped the pistol because he wanted to get it away from him or because he was trying to get it out of the holster, Nasset said.

"It's really speculation as to what he was going to do with that gun," Nasset said.

The arrest occurred shortly after noon, about 15 minutes after the chase began.

"Unfortunately, not all the time do we have the luxury of just letting somebody go," Nasset said Tuesday, explaining the decision to pursue Jefferson. "It's very evident by the outcome that this individual was very dangerous."

The driver and sole occupant of the Impala was taken to Kalispell Regional Medical Center as a precaution, police said. The driver - the sole occupant - of the Lexus was not injured.

Wilson was hustled into a Sheriff's Office patrol car quickly after his apprehension and taken to the Flathead County Detention Center. He has made no statements to investigators, Flathead County Sheriff Mike Meehan said .

"He's not talking," Meehan said.

Sheriff's deputies, Montana Highway Patrol, and Kalispell police officers participated in the chase.

Reporter Nicholas Ledden can be reached at 758-4441 or by e-mail at nledden@dailyinterlake.com