Police hunt for suspect in trooper ambush near home
Law enforcement officers salute as the honor guard arrives for a funeral service for Pennsylvania State Trooper Cpl. Bryon Dickson, Thursday, Sept. 18, 2014, in Scranton, Pa. Dickson was killed on Friday night in an ambush shooting at the state police barracks in Blooming Grove Township. Authorities are looking for 31-year-old Eric Frein, of Canadensis, who is charged with killing one trooper and wounding another outside the barracks. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
A Pennsylvania State Police Trooper watches from outside a funeral service for Pennsylvania State Trooper Cpl. Bryon Dickson, Thursday, Sept. 18, 2014, in Scranton, Pa. Dickson was killed on Friday night in an ambush shooting at the state police barracks in Blooming Grove Township. Authorities are looking for 31-year-old Eric Frein, of Canadensis, who is charged with killing one trooper and wounding another outside the barracks. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
An honor guard carries the casket of Pennsylvania State Trooper Cpl. Bryon Dickson from his funeral service Thursday in Scranton.
SCRANTON – The hunt for a man charged with killing a Pennsylvania State Police trooper is intensifying as authorities confirm they are searching for the suspect in an area around his parents’ home.
State police blocked roads, and a shelter was set up for residents who can’t get to their homes.
Police are looking for 31-year-old Eric Frein. He’s charged with ambushing a state police barracks in northeastern Pennsylvania last week, killing Cpl. Bryon Dickson and wounding another trooper.
State police spokeswoman Trooper Morgan Crummy said Thursday night that “due to the violent nature of his crimes, extreme precautionary measures are being taken” during the police search in Barrett Township.
Dickson was an impeccable officer who put his family first, friends and colleagues said Thursday at the slain state police trooper’s funeral, just hours before his suspected killer was added to the FBI’s most wanted list.
Dickson “was no ordinary trooper,” police Commissioner Frank Noonan told hundreds of mourners gathered at St. Peter’s Cathedral in Scranton.
Dickson, 38, was gunned down late Friday outside his rural barracks in the Pocono Mountains. The days since have been “a whirlwind … fueled by stress and gallons of coffee,” Noonan said.
Mourners attending Dickson’s funeral Mass gathered “in sorrow, disbelief and anger,” the Rev. Thomas Muldowney said, but he asked them to focus on the positive impact that Dickson made during his life.
Dickson, a Marine Corps veteran who joined the state police in 2007, had worked as a patrol unit supervisor in the barracks since June.
The word that best describes Dickson is “impeccable,” Cpl. Derek Felsman said during his eulogy. Felsman said his best friend took perfect care of his wife, crafted flawless wood toys for his two sons and always wore a crisp and spotless uniform with gleaming leather boots and belt.
He was a “steadfast soldier of the law” who regularly worked past quitting time to take drunken drivers off the street, Felsman said. But he also had a sense of humor.
Working the midnight shift in Philadelphia and unable to spend last Valentine’s Day with his wife, Dickson agreed to eat dinner with his pal Felsman. They walked into the candle-lit Italian restaurant and found it packed with couples, love in the air.
“At first, he couldn’t believe we were actually getting a bite to eat surrounded in an atmosphere of mushiness and romance. He quickly overcame those thoughts, and then jokingly asked me to ask to sit on the same side of the booth as him,” Felsman said, drawing laughter.
Thousands of law enforcement officers from around the country came to Scranton to pay their respects, lining up 10 deep outside the church 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 utter silence.
As Dickson was being laid to rest at a nearby cemetery, the hunt went on for a man police described as a self-taught survivalist who had expressed anti-law enforcement and anti-government feelings for years. Frein has also been charged federally with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.
At a news conference after the funeral, police said they believe Frein is hiding somewhere in the area, though they wouldn’t say why. Adding Frein to the FBI’s most wanted list allows the agency to use more resources to find him and to offer a $100,000 reward.
“We have now made the world where he could hide a very, very small place,” said Edward Hanko, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia office.
Police named Frein as the suspect after finding his abandoned SUV a couple miles from the barracks. They said it contained his driver’s license and spent shell casings matching those at the crime scene.
State police have warned the public that Frein, of Canadensis, is dangerous, saying he has talked about committing mass murder. They are urging residents to be alert and cautious, but Lt. Col. George Bivens also said he believes Frein’s “engaged in a personal battle with law enforcement, particularly the Pennsylvania State Police, and will likely stay focused on that fight.”