MILFORD -- The man suspected of killing one state trooper in Pike County and wounding another pleaded not guilty on Thursday.
Among those in court was the station commander from Blooming Grove who gave us an idea of what life has been like there since the ambush in September.
The commander of the Blooming Grove barracks says his troopers are working hard to get back to the new normal. He was inside the courtroom as alleged cop killer Eric Frein entered a plea of not guilty through a video hook-up, all while Trooper Alex Douglass, who was badly hurt in the attack, prepared for his 14th surgery in New York City.
Not guilty: that's what alleged cop killer Eric Frein pleaded in Pike County court, for his formal arraignment.
The commander of the Blooming Grove barracks was inside the courtroom in Milford for the video arraignment. Lt. Chris Paris spoke candidly about how his troopers are doing after last September's deadly attack that killed Corporal Bryon Dickson and badly hurt Trooper Alex Douglass.
"I believe we're doing as well as can be expected. We're returning to what the new normal is, keeping a close eye on our membership, but basically, Pike County is a busy place," said Lt. Paris.
Thursday was a big step forward for Trooper Douglass' recovery. Douglass' brother posted a photo to Facebook right before the trooper's hip replacement surgery in New York. This was his 14th procedure and Douglass said in that post he's thankful for all the support.
"He's doing well. I spoke to him last night and I was with him last week. His spirits are high and this is I believe, it's in the teens in the number of surgeries he's had. So this is a big step."
The trooper's accused shooter's court case now moves forward. Both the prosecution and defense are going over evidence. Frein's defense team is considering filing a motion to move the trial out of Pike County.
"There's no question that venue's an issue, I don't want to pretend that it's not. But we'll see where that goes. But yeah, it's an issue," said defense attorney Michael Weinstein.
"One is a change of venue, where the trial is moved to another county, there's also the possibility of the change of venire, which means the jury is selected in another county and brought here to Pike County," explained Pike County District Attorney Ray Tonkin.
Blooming Grove's commander says their focus now has to be on the welfare of Pike County as Frein's trial moves forward, and keeping their spirits high and morale up.
"The calls for service have not stopped coming, and I can't say enough about the professionalism with which the troopers go about their duties on a daily basis."
Frein's trial is tentatively scheduled for March, with a pretrial hearing in the beginning of February, but the defense expects the trial won't begin until possibly sometime next year.
