Police: Ambush suspect probably hiding in woods
SCRANTON — Pennsylvania State Police paused to pay tribute to their fallen comrade, then got back to work hunting for the man suspected as his killer — a self-taught survivalist they are trying to flush out of dense, swampy northeastern Pennsylvania woodland.
Police say they are eliminating possible hiding places for the suspect, 31-year-old Eric Frein, including hunting cabins, campsites and other occasional residences in the Pocono Mountains. An intense late-night search Thursday concentrated on the area around Frein’s parents’ home, with roads blocked and residents kept from their homes temporarily.
“We’re systemically taking away any opportunities for him for cover and concealment, for any comfort,” Lt. Col. George Bivens told reporters Thursday afternoon, hours after the funeral for Cpl. Bryon Dickson.
Frein is charged with killing Dickson, 38, and wounding Trooper Alex Douglass in a late-night ambush outside the Blooming Grove barracks a week ago. As many as 200 law enforcement officers at a time have been casting a wide net around the crime scene, exploring rugged terrain so impenetrable in spots that police choppers can’t see through the forest canopy.
Schools in the area will be closed again today as authorities look for Frein, who was added Thursday to the FBI’s 10 most wanted list. A total of $175,000 in reward money is being offered for information leading to his arrest.
As the search continued, thousands of law enforcement officers from around the country came to Scranton to pay their respects to Dickson, lining up 10 deep for the funeral procession under a brilliant blue sky. A single bell tolled for more than 20 minutes before the casket arrived, and the sea of uniformed officers stood at attention in silence.
