2023-07-10 19:37:52
An inmate suspected of several crimes, including the murder of a New York woman, escaped from a Pennsylvania jail using tied-up sheets, sparking a massive multi-agency manhunt and warnings from officials that it is “very dangerous” and should not be addressed.
Michael Charles Burham, 34, disappeared in the recreation area of the Warren County Jail early Friday morning. He “soared” over some exercise equipment and exited the yard through a metal roof, Cecile Stelter, a county spokeswoman, said at a news conference Friday afternoon. Then, he used sheets that he tied up to lower to the ground.
Staff realized Burham was missing minutes after his escape, Stelter said, noting that he was under surveillance via video cameras while at the recreation area.
“He is considered dangerous because of his past actions,” he said. “And the public is asked to stay away from it, but if you see anything unusual, call 911.”
Lt. Col. George Bivens of the Pennsylvania State Police told reporters Sunday that it is “completely likely” Burham is armed and that people should not go near him if they see him.
HAS “SURVIVAL SKILLS”
Warren authorities said Saturday that Burham’s whereabouts are unknown and the search has spread beyond the city. Stelter said Burham has “survival skills” and is comfortable living in wooded areas.
Bivens said Sunday that investigators found stockpiles of supplies in camps they believe belong to Burham, though he declined to elaborate on what they found or where they found it.
Warren police asked residents to check their security cameras for any possible sightings of Burham, who was wearing a jail-issued blue jean coat, white and orange pants and orange shoes when he escaped.
Bivens said it is possible that he has now changed his clothes, adding that police “believe that he prepared in advance to hide in the woods.”
More than 10 federal, state and local law enforcement agencies are assisting in the manhunt. The US Marshals Service is offering a $7,500 reward for information leading to Burham’s capture and Warren County Crime Stoppers is offering $2,000, according to Bivens.
THE CRIMES OF WHICH HE IS ACCUSED
Burham was being held at the jail, located about 11 miles from the New York southwest border, in connection with a robbery and arson, according to Stelter. He is also charged with kidnapping a Warren County couple and is a suspect in the May 11 murder of Kala Hodgkin of Jamestown, New York.
A federal criminal complaint alleges that Hodgkin was found shot to death in her home. At the time of the murder, there was an active warrant accusing Burham of raping the woman, according to the complaint.
As police were on their way to Hodgkin’s home, they received a separate call that Burham had allegedly attempted to break into a former girlfriend’s home and then proceeded to set her car on fire, the complaint says.
Burham went on the run, leading authorities on a multi-state manhunt before his capture on May 24 in South Carolina, the Jamestown Police Department in New York said.
During the search, Burham is accused of kidnapping a couple at gunpoint from their Sheffield, Pennsylvania, home, according to the complaint. They were found alive in a cemetery in North Charleston, South Carolina.
In her vehicle, there was a note allegedly written by Burham telling her father she was “safe for now” and apologizing “for all the trouble I caused the family,” the complaint says.
It is article was originally published in English on NBC News. For more from NBC News enter here.
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