The Martinsville/Henry County Communications Center received a call on September 27, 2025, around 4:40 p.m., regarding a reckless driver operating a gray Toyota sedan on Virginia Avenue, Collinsville, traveling toward Walmart. The caller reported that the vehicle was swerving across the roadway and nearly struck several vehicles.
Henry County Sheriff’s deputies located the suspect vehicle on Virginia Avenue near Stultz Road, and allegedly observed the vehicle failing to stay in its lane of travel. The deputies attempted to initiate a traffic stop; however, the driver allegedly disregarded the emergency equipment and continued traveling on Virginia Avenue before turning onto Commonwealth Boulevard.
The deputies engaged in a low-speed pursuit, with speeds averaging around 35 mph. Due to the low speeds, deputies were able to position their vehicles in front of the suspect in an effort to safely stop the vehicle. The suspect vehicle subsequently struck the rear of a deputy’s vehicle, at which point the pursuit was brought to a stop near Chopstix on Commonwealth Blvd. The suspect was taken into custody without incident.
The driver, identified as Eric Williams, 63, of 1312 West Fork Road, Cascade, Virginia, was taken into custody without incident and charged with Felony Elude Police, Driving Under the Influence, Driving Without a License, Failure to Maintain Lane and Insufficient Tread Depth
Williams is being held at the Henry County Adult Detention Center without bond.
Neither deputies nor Williams sustained injuries.
The Henry County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank the concerned citizen who reported the reckless driver, helping prevent potential harm to other motorists and the Martinsville Police Department for their assistance.
