Man who led authorities on four-day S.C. manhunt escapes Pa. jail

WARREN, Pa. (WCSC) - A man who led law enforcement agencies on a four-day manhunt before being captured in Berkeley County in May escaped a Pennsylvania jail, authorities said.

Michael Burham escaped from the Warren County Jail in Pennsylvania around 11:20 p.m. Thursday, the Warren Police Department said.

Law enforcement says Burham used bed sheets and exercise equipment to escape from the recreation area of the jail.

He was not restrained when it happened, and officials say he was able to make it to the ground from the roof by using those items.

Warren County Spokesperson Cecile Stelter said authorities noticed he was gone almost immediately, and that Burham was under video surveillance, but it’s not clear if guards were present at the time of the escape.

Burham was at the jail for less than three months, and former long-term Charleston County Sheriff Al Cannon says that was plenty of time for him to figure out patterns and plot his escape.

“That’s more than long enough to pick up on these lapses and validate them, that they continue,” Cannon said. “Find out which guard does the laps, whether that’s a pattern of behavior and that sort of stuff, but that is not too long, given the seriousness of his charges and the amount of his bond.”

Cannon predicts that once he’s re-captured, Burham will be transferred to a different jail with higher security measures in place.

Police urged residents in the area to lock their doors and “stay vigilant.” He had last been seen wearing a blue denim jacket.

No other details of the escape were immediately available.

READ MORE: Pennsylvania man appears in federal court after 4-day manhunt in Lowcountry

Burham, 34, is facing federal charges after he was wanted in several states for his alleged involvement in the rape and unlawful imprisonment of a woman in Jamestown, New York. He was also wanted for allegedly kidnapping two victims at gunpoint from Sheffield, Pennsylvania, and driving them to North Charleston.

Burham proceeded to lead law enforcement on a four-day manhunt across two counties before being arrested on May 23 in Huger after a resident called to report a suspicious person behind their shed.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

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