Pennsylvania State Police spent more than $11 million during their 48-day manhunt in the Pocono Mountains to capture the suspect accused of ambushing two Pennsylvania state troopers, according to a cost breakdown released Friday.
On Sept. 12, Eric Frein allegedly ambushed the Blooming Grove state police barracks and shot at two Pennsylvania State troopers, eventually killing Cpl. Bryon Dickson and seriously wounding Trooper Alex T. Douglass.
Described to be a self-trained survivalist and war re-enactor, the 31-year-old had been spotted several times, but managed to evade police capture in the five-square mile area of the Pocono Mountains due to his training and the thick terrain, Christian Science Monitor reported.
After nearly seven weeks involving more than 1,000 officers in an area near the border of Pike and Monroe counties, Frein surrendered to an elite team of highly trained and skilled Deputy U.S. Marshals on Oct. 30 at an abandoned open airfield near the former Birchwood-Pocono Airpark.
With $10.5 million being spent on personnel, overtime costs for the state police accounted for the majority of this total, with $6.9 million being paid out to officers who worked extra hours throughout the manhunt, ABC News reported.
However, the $11,046,653 total only accounted for the costs for the Pennsylvania State Police and not the supporting agencies like the FBI or the U.S. Marshalls, who were the officers who ended up eventually finding Frein and proceeding with his arrest.
Another $2.8 million accounted for benefits and other costs, including more than $657,000 in standard salaries, more than $66,000 in travel, nearly $200,000 for inventory and operational expenses, according to the breakdown.
Meanwhile, Frein was charged with two additional counts of terrorism after a letter, addressed to his "Mom and Dad," was discovered on his computer's storage drive, officials said.
In the letter to his parents, Frein spoke of wanting to start a revolution. Similarly in a police interview conducted earlier in the investigation, the accused cop killer had admitted that dissatisfaction with the U.S. government and the want for "people to wake up" had been a possible motive for his six weeks of criminal evasive actions, according to court documents filed Thursday,
"Our nation is far from what it was and what it should be," it read. "I have seen so many depressing changes made in my time that I cannot imagine what it must be like for you. There is so much wrong and on so many levels only passing through the crucible of another revolution can get us back the liberties we once had. I do not pretend to know what the revolution will look like or even if it would be successful."
"Tension is high at the moment and the time seems right for a spark to ignite a fire in the hearts of men. What I have done has not been done before and it felt like it was worth a try."
After his capture, the 31-year-old suspect was charged with first-degree murder and other counts, including possession of weapons of mass destruction.
Currently, he is being held without bail and has not entered a plea although prosecutors are seeking a death penalty. He is due back in court next month.
