A 34-year-old homicide suspect who escaped from a northwestern Pennsylvania prison earlier this month was arrested after he was discovered by a landlord in his yard, officials said.
Michael Charles Burham, who escaped from the Warren County Jail on July 6, was captured Saturday night in Warren County, Pennsylvania State Police Lt. Col. George Bivens said during a an evening press conference.
According to Bivens, just before 4 p.m. EST, a homeowner in Conewango Township called authorities to report he had “encountered Burham” camping in his yard after his dog began barking, and he and his wife went to investigate.
“They went out to check why the dog was barking, went to the back of their property, they met Burham,” Bivens said. “I was told a conversation took place, a brief conversation, asking what he was doing there. He said something about camping. And the property owner recognized him, brought in his wife, they were in a golf cart…went from there so he could contact us immediately as Burham fled into the woods.”
A search ensued involving a “significant number of personnel in the field”, along “aeronautical assets” and K9s, Bivens said.
Burham was “tracked through the woods” and captured by multiple officers – including U.S. Marshals, U.S. Border Patrol agents and state police – shortly before 6 p.m., about two hours after he was spotted, according to Welcome.
Bivens said Burham would not be returned to Warren County Jail. He was being processed at the Warren County State Police station.
“A decision will be made on where he will ultimately be housed after his arraignment,” Bivens said.
At the time of his escape, Burham was being held for arson and burglary and is a suspect in a homicide investigation, police said. He was also ‘linked’ to the carjacking and kidnapping of a local couple that happened in May.
Warren County spokeswoman Cecile Stelter told reporters the day after her escape that Burham ‘highed’ on ‘exercise equipment’ and then used ‘sheets that he tied together to get off the roof and escape.
Bivens had previously described Burham as a “self-taught survivor with a military background”.
Warren is located approximately 10 miles south of the New York state line and approximately 20 miles south of Jamestown, New York.
Local, state and federal agencies are involved in the manhunt, including the US Forest Service, US Border Patrol and the Jamestown Police Department.
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