Pa. police using unmanned balloon in Frein search

A helium-filled balloon has joined the manhunt for Eric Frein.

The round Mylar balloon was deployed to offer aerial surveillance over the woods where police are searching for the accused killer of a state trooper, Pennsylvania state police said Monday.

The state police borrowed the balloon, which transmits video images, from the Ohio Department of Transportation, said Trooper Tom Kelly.

Unlike helicopters, the device is silent. It offers the same search capabilities as other aviation equipment, Kelly said, "at a fraction of the cost." The Columbus Dispatch reported that Ohio purchased the 15-foot diameter balloon this year for $180,000.

The blimp-like object can fly as high as 480 feet, according to the Dispatch, and its camera is powerful enough to detect a person from as far away as three miles.

The balloon, called "blimp in a box" by its Florida-based manufacturer, Drone Aviation Corp., flew over a ski area Monday in Henryville, part of the search area for Frein.

As the tethered unmanned balloon floated over the search area, Gov. Corbett said he has been in daily contact with state police about the search for Frein.

"We will continue to search for this guy until we get him," Corbett said.

The last possible sighting of Frein in the search area was Friday night, said Trooper Connie Devens.

Corbett added that the rocky terrain and heavy tree cover are hampering the search. He said it was clear that Frein had been "preparing for months, if not years, to go into the woods."

Barrett Township, which canceled its 50th annual Halloween parade and called off trick-or-treating due to the manhunt, held an alternative Halloween celebration Sunday afternoon.

At the "trunk-or-treat" event, in a school parking lot miles from the search area, children wore costumes and trick-or-treated among cars. Organizers awarded prizes for the best costumes and vehicle decorations.

Frein, 31, is accused of killing Cpl. Bryon Dickson and wounding Trooper Alex Douglass outside the barracks in Blooming Grove on Sept. 12.

Police say the self-styled survivalist has been hiding in the woods of Pike and Monroe Counties since the shootings. Despite several reported sightings and the discovery of items police say Frein left behind, he has eluded capture for more than six weeks as more than 1,000 law enforcement officers have scoured the woods.