The State Troopers PBA is happy to report that Trooper Sean Brown, who was shot in the side during a traffic stop on June 10, has returned to work and resumed his patrol duties. The suspect in the shooting, Ralph Phillips, is still being sought by law enforcement officers. There is a $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of Phillips. If you have any information on his whereabouts, please contact your local State Police station. Below is an article from the Democrat & Chronicle newspaper of Rochester detailing Trooper Brown’s return to work.

Brooke J. Sherman
Elmira Star-Gazette

(August 2, 2006) — New York State Trooper Sean M. Brown returned to work Tuesday, nearly two months after he was shot while on duty.

Brown, 30, returned to the Montour Falls barracks and spent time doing desk work and then went out on patrol on his first day, said Capt. Edward Moffe of the Horseheads state police barracks.

"It felt good to be back," Brown said at the end of his 12-hour shift Tuesday.

He said it was business as usual for him on his first day back and he even wrote a few traffic tickets.

Brown was shot in the abdomen in early-morning hours of June 10 on Parrott Road in the Chemung County town of Veteran when he and his partner approached a vehicle on a traffic stop.

Brown’s partner, Trooper Donald Will, transported him to St. Joseph’s Hospital in Elmira. Brown was released four days later.

"Sean was cleared for full and strenuous duty," Moffe said. "Everyone is very happy to have him back."

"Everything just went well," Brown said Monday evening. "I’m just glad to be back."

The search continues for the man suspected of shooting Brown.

Escaped convict Ralph "Bucky" Phillips has been on the run since he broke out of the Alden Correctional Facility in Erie County on April 2.

Phillips was serving time for a parole violation when he escaped, using a can opener, with just four days left on his sentence.

State police said they have recovered the .38-caliber pistol linked to the shooting of Brown and have connected it through fingerprint evidence to Phillips.

Trooper Mark O’Donnell, a public information officer with the state police, said no new leads in the search for Phillips have developed.

"We’re doing nothing different than we have been doing for the past several weeks," O’Donnell said.

Brown visited the troopers working on the search in Chautauqua County several weeks ago to express his gratitude for the job they were doing.