I think it's not so much that he asked dumb questions, but that he is getting paid a lot more money for his level than co-workers who work more independently, and are there for the meetings, etc. So even though he gets his work done, there is resentment among the co-workers, which can be bad for morale.

If his salary matched his abilities, there probably wouldn't be a problem, but Evelyn was desperate, and hired him at too high a salary, and then didn't manage expectations for his work ethic, etc. So I go along with a lot of what has been previously stated: Give him a review with specific points on what needs to be improved in a specfic time frame, and then follow through. Make it clear that Eric is responsible for his future at the company. if he doesn't want to do it, he can move on, or be assisted in moving on.