Police Issue Phone Scam Warning Related To Trooper Ambush
CANADENSIS, Pa. (KDKA/AP) – The manhunt for the suspected killer of a state trooper continues. While residents in the area have been on high-alert, police have issued a new warning.
Police have been working relentlessly to find Frein. However, someone is trying to capitalize on the situation.
On Thursday, State Police issued a statement about a new phone scam in northeast Pennsylvania.
"It has come to our attention that residents of northeast Pennsylvania may be receiving phone calls from individuals looking to solicit money by claiming they represent the Pennsylvania State Police. The caller claims that the department is trying to raise money to continue the search efforts for Eric Frein. This phone call is a scam. The Pennsylvania State Police do not and will not solicit money from residents, so please do not provide any personal information or offer to send money to the caller if you are contacted," the statement said.
Other details of the scam have not been released.
Meanwhile, Eric Frein, 31, who has eluded a massive dragnet for nearly two weeks, might be treating the manhunt in the Pennsylvania woods as a game against law enforcement, according to police.
Frein, 31, appears to have purposely made himself visible at times, staying just far enough away to make it unlikely he'd be caught in the rough terrain, said State Police Lt. Col George Bivens.
"I almost think that some of this is a game to him," Bivens said Wednesday.
Upwards of 1,000 law enforcement officials have been involved in the search for Frein, who is charged with gunning down Cpl. Bryon Dickson and wounding Trooper Alex Douglass in a Sept. 12 ambush outside their barracks in Blooming Grove.
Since then, Wednesday was the first time authorities have reported possibly laying eyes on the suspect, describing him as wearing black clothing and sometimes a hood.
Police found Frein's Jeep submerged in a swamp a few miles from the barracks, and believe he walked 15 or 20 miles south to hide in the wilderness surrounding his hometown of Canadensis. He is considered armed and dangerous, and police have authority to kill him if he doesn't surrender.
In an indication of just how wild the landscape is, tactical teams have "kicked out quite a few bears" as they searched for Frein in caves, Bivens said. Police have also obtained search warrants to search vacant homes, using locksmiths to gain access.
Officers have found items they say Frein either stashed or left behind, including an assault rifle, ammunition, empty packs of Serbian-branded cigarettes and soiled diapers. Frein, described as a self-taught survivalist, might be using the diapers to remain stationary for long periods of time, Bivens said. Police are testing the diapers to confirm Frein wore them.
Bivens said troopers are "doing their best to balance safety concerns with the needs for residents to be able to travel freely to and from their homes."
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