Slain Trooper's Handcuffs Used to Detain Suspected Cop Killer

Photo: Pa. State Police Cpl. Bryon Dickson was fatally shot on Sept. 12 at the Blooming Grove Barracks

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

The handcuffs that once belonged to a Pennsylvania State Trooper who was fatally shot at his barracks were the very same that detained the man police say killed him, officials said during a news conference Thursday.

After 48 days on the run, suspected cop killer Eric Frein, 31, was caught Thursday at an abandoned airport hangar in rural northeastern Pennsylvania, just 30 miles from the scene of the Sept. 12 ambush that prompted the multimillion dollar search.

Pennsylvania State Police said Frein surrendered, dropped to his knees and was taken away without incident.

Also on Patch:

• 50 High School Seniors Come Dressed as Miss Americas for Halloween
  
• Pregnant Woman Hit by Tow Truck Out of Coma, Delivers Baby Girl
  
• Marijuana Candy: Police Say Treats Are A Trick
  

He was brought back to the Blooming Grove Barracks in the handcuffs of Cpl. Bryon Dickson, who was killed in the shooting at those very barracks six weeks ago, Governor Tom Corbett said during the news conference. Frein was even driven to the barracks in Dickson’s police vehicle before he was moved to the Pike County Correctional Facility, ABC News reported.

“I thank the residents of northeast Pennsylvania and our partners in law enforcement agencies who have been involved in this mission,” Governor Tom Corbett said. “To the family of Corporal Dickson and the family of Trooper Douglass, let me assure you, justice will be served.”

During a court appearance Friday, Frein was ordered held without bail on murder charges, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

Frein, who spent weeks hiding out in the northeastern Pennsylvania woods, surrendered around 6 p.m. Thursday. Prosecutors said they planned to seek the death penalty for Frein, who was on the FBI’s Most Wanted List.

Trooper Alex T. Douglass also was wounded in the shooting outside the Blooming Grove State Police Barracks.