Member of Luzerne County manager search committee resigns

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Penn State defensive coordinator Bob Shoop meeting with Tennessee

<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; The tragedy and resolve etched into the stoic faces of Don and Jean Williams spoke more loudly than words from any politicians ever could, but when the father of slain federal corrections officer Eric Williams <em>did</em> speak, the sentiment resonated.</p><p>&#8220;Our son didn&#8217;t have to die,&#8221; Williams told a small crowd gathered to mark the passage in the U.S. Senate of a bill intended to prevent a recurrence of such sorrow unfolding in other federal prisons. &#8220;There&#8217;s nothing I can do for him, but I can do something about it.&#8221;</p><p>Eric Williams, of Nanticoke, was murdered while on duty at U.S. Penitentiary at Canaan in Wayne County Feb. 25, 2013. Prosecutors seeking the death penalty for inmate Jessie Con-Ui paint a brutal picture, alleging the prisoner ambushed the unarmed guard, kicked him down a flight of stairs, pinned him to the floor and stabbed him more than 200 times with multiple homemade shanks.</p><p>Don and Jean Williams stood on the grand marble steps of the Luzerne County Courthouse Rotunda Friday morning as District Attorney Stefanie Salavantis, U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey and Council of Prison Locals Union Vice President Shane Fausey touted the life-saving potential in the &#8220;Eric Williams Correctional Officer Protection Act.&#8221;</p><p>The bill would put pepper spray in the hands of federal correctional officers. It passed the Senate last month and awaits action in the House. Toomey, R-Zionsville, and Fausey both said one reason for the media event was to publicly push the representatives to act.</p><p>Pointing to the Thursday night attack on a Philadelphia police officer as evidence of growing assaults on law enforcement, Toomey cited other legislative initiatives he supports: a bill that would allow federal corrections officers to bring personal firearms to and from work while securing them in a locker at the prison, and making murder of a law enforcement officer in the line of duty an automatic &#8220;aggravating circumstance&#8221; in seeking the death penalty.</p><p>After the speeches ended, Don Williams said he and his wife have become advocates of such legislation, but he&#8217;s looking for something bigger &#8212; the formation of a permanent Congressional sub-committee to have &#8220;ongoing and sustained conversations&#8221; about prison safety.</p><p>&#8220;The last thing we ever wanted was for this to happen to our son, and we have no control over the fact that it is a high-profile case,&#8221; he said. &#8220;But I feel we should utilize that to make some good come out of it.</p><p>&#8220;We don&#8217;t want any other families to receive that knock on the door at 1:30 in the morning to find out their son is dead.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Parents of slain Corrections Officer Eric Williams Don and Jean Williams give remarks at a press conference at the Luzerne County Courthouse about the Senate passage of a bill named in honor of their son Eric. At left is Sen Pat Toomey. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_TTL010916williams.jpg</photo0><caption0>Parents of slain Corrections Officer Eric Williams Don and Jean Williams give remarks at a press conference at the Luzerne County Courthouse about the Senate passage of a bill named in honor of their son Eric. At left is Sen Pat Toomey. </caption0><photoCredit0>Clark Van Orden | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Mark Guydish</p><p>mguydish@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Mark Guydish at 570-991-6112 or on Twitter @TLMarkGuydish</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Parents of slain corrections officer Eric Williams praise one federal bill, push for more