Pennsylvania Police Capture Prison Escapee on the Run for Over a Week

The inmate with the survival skills was apprehended in a wooded area near Warren, PA

Michael C. Burham, escaped prisonerPhoto byWarren Police Department

Pennsylvania authorities successfully tracked down escaped inmate Michael C. Burham after he spent over a week evading their chase. He was found in a rural, wooded area near Warren, PA.

A Warren County official said that they “are preparing an isolation cell at Warren County Jail” for Burham, but do not intend to keep him there past Sunday. It is unclear where he will be transferred to after that, but he will not be returning to Warren County Prison.

Burham broke out of Warren County Prison in northwestern Pennsylvania shortly before midnight on July 6 using tied-up bedsheets and elevating himself on exercise equipment, according to a county spokesperson.

Authorities had described him as extremely dangerous due to his military experience and survivalist training.

Burham's capture happened after Pennsylvania State Police got a call to their tip line Saturday from residents reporting “a suspicious individual” before 4 p.m. ET in Warren County’s Conowingo Township, Lt. Col. George Bivens said during a Saturday news conference.

According to Bivens, just before 4 p.m. Eastern time, a homeowner in Conewango Township called authorities to report that he had "encountered Burham" camping in his backyard after his dog began barking, and he and his wife went to investigate.

"They went out to check on why the dog was barking, went to the rear of their property, they encountered Burham," Bivens said. "I'm told that a conversation occurred, brief conversation, asking what was he doing there. He said something about camping. And the owner of the property recognized him, got his wife back into, they were in a golf cart...drove away from there so he could immediately contact us as Burham fled into the woods."

Burham, who was dirty and wearing his prison pants inside out, told the couple he was camping, Bivens said.

A search ensued involving a "significant number of personnel on the ground," along "aviation assets" and K9s, Bivens said.

Law enforcement, using police dogs, tracked him through the woods. Burham was taken into custody shortly before 6 p.m., authorities said.

Burham didn’t have any weapons or anything in his possession when he was captured, Bivens said, adding authorities plan to scour the area to look for any possessions he may have left in the woods.

Footage from law enforcement shows the moments after Burham was captured. The inmate, who looked disheveled and was wearing a light-colored T-shirt and pants, had his hands behind his back and was flanked by nearly a dozen officers in camouflaged gear on a road in a wooded area.

Bivens described Burham’s appearance at the time of his capture as looking “tired and worn out” as well as dirty and wet.

During the weeklong search for the inmate, police found stockpiles of supplies, including clothing, food and other items in a wooded area near the city of Warren that they said they believed were used by Burham, authorities said Thursday.

Bivens described the inmate’s capture as “a great relief.”

“All of us were always concerned that we would end up with a citizen harmed in some way, or even one of the officers harmed,” he said. “You’re always worried about things like that, so to not have that play out, it’s a good day.”

Authorities said they are continuing to investigate whether Burham got any assistance while he was on the run.