By Harold Mcneil
The Buffalo News, N.Y.
WARREN, Pa. — Officials in Warren County, Pa., announced plans Wednesday to improve security at the county jail in the wake of an escape nearly a week ago by a man with ties to the Jamestown area who is a suspect in a homicide.
During a news conference, Warren County Commissioner Jeff Eggleston said the Prison Board and commissioners have met and reviewed data associated with the escape of Michael Burham, 34, on July 6. That review, he said, has resulted in immediate plans to make repairs on the roof of the prison yard, described as a 40-foot by 40-foot room with a cage on the top floor of the jail.
“Essentially, it’s a box that is on the top level of the jail,” Eggleston said.
The roof has a square hole in it, with a chain link fence on steel girders on top of it, he added.
“There are pieces that hold that fence. Those were broken. So that was the hole that allowed him to escape through the roof,” Eggleston continued.
Officials have “ordered that the space be augmented with deterrents and safety measures and that exercise equipment be removed and replaced with equipment that does not provide access to higher positions in the facility,” according to a statement released by the board of commissioners read by Eggleston.
The commissioners anticipate that those structural fixes will be completed before the end of the week, though several other upgrades will take longer, they said.
In addition, officials are reviewing all policies and procedures related to inmate access and observation, so that changes can be made to increase security in the area from which Burham is believed to have escaped. Inmates are legally required to have access to the yard for outside exercise, they said, so it is crucial for the Prison Board to ensure that the facility is secure.
Commission Vice Chairman Benjamin Kafferlin said Warren County is conducting a rigorous internal investigation.
“We’re reviewing every second of video surveillance, taking statements, reviewing time stamps, tag out sheets and interviewing every individual who may have information, whether they’re inside or outside the jail,” Kafferlin said.
Officials said he escaped by climbing on exercise equipment and using bed sheets tied together.
This is the second time authorities have sought Burham in recent months.
Jamestown police began looking for him after the homicide of Kala M. Hodgkin, 34, who was found dead May 11.
Burham was arrested May 24 in South Carolina, and police have charged him with kidnapping a couple in Warren County and taking them to South Carolina.
He was being held in Pennsylvania on federal kidnapping charges at the time of his escape. Burham has not been charged in Hodgkin’s death, as prosecutors await results of lab tests.
“We do not have people escape from the jail on a regular basis. So that’s why every moment of everything that happened after he escaped is being reviewed so that we can make sure that all of those things get buckled down and taken care of if there is a deficiency,” Eggleston said regarding the improvement of conditions at the jail.
Meanwhile, law enforcement investigating the escape into a sixth day Wednesday have received around 500 tips from the public, according to Pennsylvania State Police Lt. Commander George Bivens during another news conference later in the day.
“We have received amazing support from the public in this investigation. That support includes both a significant number of tips, as well as assistance from local businesses with the logistical support of this operation,” Bivens said.
Among the agencies taking part in the manhunt are the U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Marshals Service, which is offering a $7,500 reward for information leading to Burham’s capture. Warren County Crime Stoppers is offering a $2,000 reward.
“Burham is a self-taught survivalist with military training and he could be potentially held up in a wooded area,” police said, noting that he is thought to be “armed and dangerous.”
He also asked the public to remain vigilant and to regularly review doorbell and other surveillance footage for possible sightings of Burham who, police believe, remains in the general vicinity not far from where he escaped. He said investigators recently learned that a drone may have been operated in the vicinity of the jail prior to Burham’s escape and are seeking any relevant information about that claim from the public.
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