Sources: On the run, Frein tried to call parents

PRICE TOWNSHIP, Pa. - It may have been Eric Frein's most glaring misstep so far: Hidden deep in the woods of the Poconos, the accused gunman turned on his cellphone and started to call his parents.

The Sept. 18 call lasted only seconds, but was detected by investigators and led them this week to narrow their manhunt to a five-square mile perimeter in Monroe and Pike Counties, according to sources with knowledge of the investigation.

Why Frein turned on his phone was unclear. And despite spotting him more than once since then, police and agents are proceeding with extreme caution because they believe Frein may have stashed pipe bombs in the terrain where he now is hiding.

When investigators searched his parents' home this month, they found bomb-making materials but no finished explosives, the sources said.

A state police spokeswoman on Thursday said she could not comment on whether Frein had contacted his parents or any evidence that may have been recovered. Trooper Connie Devens also said she had no information "concerning Mr. Frein making or possessing pipe bombs."

Earlier in the day, state troopers traveled door-to-door in Price Township, speaking with residents and searching abandoned properties.

Residents remain on edge, but some, such as Jim Goucher, have grown accustomed to the constant police presence since the fugitive allegedly killed one trooper and injured another two weeks ago.

Goucher did not flinch when several armed troopers, dressed in camouflage and walking single file, tiptoed through the woods near his house Thursday.

"We felt very protected with them here," said Goucher, who alerted police to abandoned buildings near his property.

Goucher's property, which he uses as a weekend home, appeared to be at the center of the search. Helicopters have used the airstrip next to his property, and troopers routinely circle his residence. His wife, Karen, spoke with police Thursday morning and made plans to show them around caverns and areas of heavy underbrush in the woods near their home.

Another area resident, Harry Bryant II, said police knocked on his door Wednesday night and again Thursday morning, asking for his phone number and reminding him to remain vigilant.

"And I wouldn't be surprised if they come around again tonight," he said as he picked up dinner at the Mountainhome Diner.

Business was steady inside the diner, where employees tied blue ribbons into bows to show support for law enforcement officials and customers swapped stories about the manhunt.

Police said Thursday's rain had not slowed the search. "As for Frein, it depends on his preparedness," Trooper Tom Kelly said in a statement.

Frein, 31, is charged with killing Cpl. Bryon Dickson and wounding Trooper Alex Douglass outside the state police barracks in Blooming Grove, Pike County.

The manhunt has focused on an area about 15 to 20 miles from the scene of the shootings, near Frein's parents' home in Canadensis, Monroe County.

Investigators have said Frein, a self-styled "survivalist," probably spent months or years preparing for his retreat into the Poconos.

On Wednesday, state police disclosed that they had found soiled diapers - the kind often worn by snipers - and empty packs of Serbian cigarettes they believe Frein left behind. They previously said they found his AK-47-style rifle.

And even with authorities' narrower focus, there are many places to hide. The region includes thousands of acres of dense forest, as well as countless cabins, shelters, and other hiding places.

"He has a lot of places he can seek refuge," said one person familiar with the probe.

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