DA charges Frein with terrorism
By Nathan Mayberg
MILFORD — Pike County District Attorney Raymond Tonkin has added terrorism to the list of charges that Eric Frein is facing for his alleged involvement in the shooting of two state troopers.
Frein was charged with two counts of terrorism on Thursday at a hearing from the Pike County Correctional Facility via video with Tonkin and Pike County Magisterial District Judge Shannon L. Muir.
The new terrorism charge is based on proving that Frein intended to "influence the policy of government by intimidation or coercion" and that he shot two Pennsylvania state troopers outside the Blooming Grove barracks in order to influence the policy of government, according to Tonkin's newly amended criminal complaint.
Frein, 31, was already facing charges of possession of a weapon of mass destruction for two bombs which were allegedly found in the woods by police during the search for Frein.
He is also accused of first degree murder for killing Corporal Bryon Dickson and attempt to commit homicide of a law enforcement officer for shooting trooper Alex Douglass in an ambush outside the state police barracks.
Frein, of Canadensis,has not yet entered a plea. He is due to appear in Pike County Court on Dec. 9 to face the charges.
He is being represented out of the Pike County Public Defender's Office by attorneys Robert Bernathy and Michael Weinstein. A representative from the office said the attorneys would not be commenting on the case.
Tonkin could not be reached for comment.
Pike County District Attorney Raymond Tonkin is seeking the death penalty against Frein.
Frein was caught by U.S. Marshalls in the early evening of Oct. 30 near an airport hangar near the abandoned Birchwood-Pocono Airpark hangar near the former Birchwood Resort in Tannersville, ending a seven-week manhunt which involved hundreds of local, state and federal authorities and shook up the small towns of Barrett and Paradise where much of the search was focused on.
The Pennsylvania Governor's Office of Homeland Security announced on Friday that the manhunt cost the state approximately $11 million, including $6.89 million in overtime for state police, $2.78 million in benefits and $657,468 in salaries.