Police searching for ‘dangerous’ inmate who escaped; has survivalist skills

WARREN, Pa. — Police are searching with multiple law enforcement agencies for an inmate who escaped from prison in Warren County, Pennsylvania.

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In a news release, the Warren Police Department said that early Friday morning inmate Michael Charles Burham escaped from the Warren County Prison. He was last seen wearing an orange-and-white jumpsuit, a denim jacket and a pair of Crocs.

Burham reportedly escaped from prison using bedsheets, officials said, according to The Associated Press. He climbed on exercise equipment and tied the bedsheets together in order to escape.

Police say Burham was being held at the prison for arson and burglary charges. He is also a suspect in a murder investigation. Police say he was also connected to a carjacking and kidnapping of a couple while trying to escape.

“He is considered very dangerous, and the public is asked to be vigilant and report anything out of the ordinary,” police said.

Warren County spokesperson Cecile Stelter said, according to CNN, that officers are searching on foot and with K-9 units as other law enforcement is using all-terrain vehicles, utility terrain vehicles, drones, and an aircraft to search for Burham.

“We have no indication that he’s being assisted by anyone at this point, but he is familiar [with] the area and … he is a survivalist and has survivalist skills,” Stelter said, according to CNN.

Multiple agencies are assisting Warren Police Department with the search including Pennsylvania State Police, New York State Police, and Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office, CNN reported. Federal, state, and local authorities are involved in trying to apprehend Burham.

Stelter advised residents in Warren County to check their hours and surveillance cameras for any footage between Thursday around 11:30 p.m. to Friday at 12:30 a.m. and to contact police if they notice anything, CNN reported. Authorities are also advising hunters to check their game cameras in case.