Escaped inmate Michael Burham almost seemed relieved to be taken back into custody, so he could change his orange jumpsuit. Pennsylvania state police finally apprehended him on July 15 after nine days on the run. He’s been roughing it in the wilds of Cnewango Township since he tied some bed sheets into a rope and made his escape.
Inmate arrested at gunpoint
Pennsylvania Authorities are happy to announce that they have escaped inmate Michael Burham safely in custody. They cornered him in the woods at gunpoint on the night of Saturday, July 15, “concluding a massive nine-day manhunt for the homicide and arson suspect.” He was in jail for 26 counts of arson, kidnapping and burglary related charges.
While not officially charged yet, Burham “is also under investigation for raping and killing the mother of his child in Jamestown, New York.” The pyromaniac made sure to “also set the woman’s car on fire.”
According to Pennsylvania State Police Lieutenant Colonel George Bivens, the troopers were alerted to a “suspicious individual” in Cnewango Township in Warren County shortly before 4 p.m. That’s when a “homeowner heard his dog barking and when he went to investigate why, spotted Burnham in the backyard of his property.”
New photos show fugitive murder suspect Michael Burham during arrest 'at gunpoint' https://t.co/ngt27c5ZIm
— Fox News (@FoxNews) July 16, 2023
He had a conversation with the man who claimed to be on a “camping trip.” He didn’t let on but instantly recognized the escaped inmate from all the TV coverage.
Once he got clear, the homeowner called in the tip. In order to increase their chances of taking the dangerous felon into custody safely, “state and local authorities coordinated to create a large perimeter around the location that included air and K-9 officer support.”
Police used their high tech gear to track their missing inmate “as he moved through the woods, where he tried to hide.” Once everyone was in place, they surrounded him with guns drawn and took him into custody just before 6:00 p.m., without incident.
Tired and worn out
The wayward inmate was a sorry sight by the time they had cuffs on him. He looked “tired” and “worn out” after he was arrested, Bevins relates.
“He was still wearing his orange prison jumpsuit, although it had been turned inside-out.” The police couldn’t stand the smell of him in their patrol car. The 34-year-old had used his bed sheets to escape from Warren County Jail.
Police aren’t saying yet where they will incarcerate the escape artist but they do know he won’t be an inmate in the same prison he just busted out of.
@JanMcLa96148225 – this is Tucker, the VeryGoodBoy who told his human that a VeryBadMan was in the backyard & led to the arrest of Michael Burham pic.twitter.com/8Y3J3Pzfzh
— ????paula (@fmoo1960) July 16, 2023
He learned a lot from his time in the army and has always been a sort of self-taught “survivalist.”
Based on his background, officials considered him “armed and dangerous” while “more than 200 federal, state and local officers from 15 agencies” hunted through the forest for him. This isn’t the first time police had to track him down.
Before he was an escaped inmate he was a fugitive suspect. “The charges in New York sparked an interstate crime spree that ended in his arrest in South Carolina after 11 days on lam in May.“
