BLOOMING GROVE -- The lights and sirens seen leading up to the Blooming Grove Barracks drove through the hearts of our community following the night of September 12th.
The State Police Barracks at Blooming Grove was the scene of something that shook our sense of security.
Corporal Bryon Dickson of Dunmore was shot and killed while leaving a shift he was never supposed to be on. Trooper Alex Douglass of Olyphant was injured so severely his life may never be the same.
Their state police comrades were left with little hope or direction.
Until just two days later when investigators found a Jeep submerged in water. In it, a small pile of belongings that gave troopers a face and a name: Eric Frein of Canadensis. They just had to find him--and how taxing that would prove to be.
Corporal Dickson was laid to rest in Scranton. His son sitting there wearing his dad's Trooper hat is an image we all won't soon forget.
A long seven weeks followed with a barrage of news conferences and clues. Campsites, Serbian cigarettes, soiled diapers, then countless "possible sightings" of Frein.
As searchers' energy and public patience waned, Trooper spouses helped out by selling "PSP Strong" t-shirts. Others brought food to searching Troopers.
One message remained: state police saying, "Frein, we know you're here and we will find you."
"As I told you last week. You are a coward. Your actions have cause tremendous disruption. We are not intimidated. We will not leave," Lt Col. George Bivens said in a news conference on September 26th.
After 48 days Frein was found hiding in an airplane hangar. He went quietly and then police restrained him with Corporal Dickson's set of handcuffs.