Police believed all along that Burham was in the general area. And they were right.

“I’m very happy to be standing here in front of you to announce the capture of Michael Burham … here in Warren County,” Pennsylvania State Police Lt. Col. George Bivens said Saturday night.

Bivens said a call was received from residents at a Jackson at 3:57 p.m. regarding a suspicious individual.

“(They) went out to check why the dog was barking,” he said, when they encountered Burham. A brief conversation ensued.

Lt. Col. George Bivens announces the capture of Michael Burham during a Saturday evening press conference. Second from the right is Cpl. Brian King who worked his last day on the nabbing the escapee.

The resident asked Burham what he was doing there and Burham said something about camping. The resident asked Burham what he was doing there and Burham said something about camping.

Bivens said the owner of the property recognized Burham and drove away so they could contact law enforcement.

“We mobilized resources as we have done many times,” he said, including personnel on the ground, aviation assets and K-9 resources to establish a “very large perimeter.”

By 5:50 p.m., Burham was in custody. “He had been tracked through the woods as he approached Logan Road,” Bivens said. “He encountered the perimeter and troopers there (and) attempted to prone out and hide.”

He had been approached from behind by law enforcement and taken into custody.

In this photo, provided by the Pennsylvania State Police, Michael Burham is handcuffed and awaiting transportation to another jail facility.

Bivens described Burham as “tired, workout, still wearing prison pants turned inside out” as well as “dirty” and “wet.”

There was “not anything in his immediate possession” which means, when he was taken into custody, he was not armed.

Bivens said they will search the area for firearms as “ammunition of a couple of different calibers (was) in those bags we found.”

Burham is the prime suspect in the May 11 shooting death of 34-year-old Kala Hodgkin inside her William Street home in Jamestown. Afterward, the former Chautauqua County resident is accused of setting fire to another woman’s car in Jamestown.

More than a week after Hodgkin’s death, Burham allegedly kidnapped a Warren County couple from their Sheffield home at gunpoint. Using their vehicle, he drove the pair to South Carolina. The couple was found safe, and Burham was eventually taken into custody after eluding police for days by running through the woods. In June, he was extradited back to New York state where he went before a federal judge in Buffalo.

Burham had been moved to Warren County on June 19. He escaped Warren County Jail late July 6.

With Burham in custody, Bivens was able to share more about the stockpiles that had been found. He said there was not a stock pile in the immediate vicinity of the capture, as the stockpiles were located “primarily south of Warren.

“He had identified two and we found a third,” Bivens said, as there were maps in the bags.

Burham did not resist as he was taken into custody.

U.S. Marshals, Border trol and the Pennsylvania State Police Special Emergency Response Team were involved.

Bivens said Burham is currently at the State Police barracks in Starbrick for processing and that a “determination will be made where he will ultimately be held following his arraignment.

“It will not be in the Warren County facility,” he added. “We are still determining where he will go.”

Bivens thanked county residents “for their patience through all of this. (I) know they were nervous, scared (but) remained gracious for all of our people.

“We ended this without anyone else getting hurt.”

Bivens said the capture occurred “in the area, a portion of the area, where we have been pushing him hard.”

He said that his team is owed a “debt of gratitude” for the risk they accepted and he specifically highlighted Cpl. Brian King, a member of the SERT team.

Bivens said Saturday was King’s 25th and last day with the department and that King came in today, telling Bivens that they had to get Burham today.

“(We) chuckled about it. No one really thought it would happen,” Bivens said, suggesting that King might be the guy we talk to about lottery numbers.

On a more serious note, though, Bivens said King was “seriously wounded on a barricaded gunman call” a number of years ago and “lost vision in one of his eyes. He came back from that. … I’m proud to call him my friend. It was meant to be (that King is) here for this capture.”

While the manhunt is over, the investigation is not.

City of Warren police are investigating the escape itself while Bivens said the state police investigation will look into whether Burham received any assistance. There are also internal county investigations into the escape and a pending review of the county jail by the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections.

The county commissioners, which oversee management of the county jail along with the Prison Board, released a statement in the wake of the capture. “We are again profoundly sorry for the anxiety and unrest this event caused within our community and wish to acknowledge that the escape underscored some weaknesses within our existing systems,” they said.

“We are grateful for the extraordinary efforts put forth by local, state, and federal law enforcement officers. Their unwavering dedication, collaboration, and meticulous work in tracking down and apprehending the escapee should be recognized and lauded.”

The commissioners say the incident has provided a “stark reminder” of the “importance of continued vigilance, constant system upgrades, and strengthened security measures. We want to reassure the public that we take this incident seriously.”

“Times of adversity test the strength of a community. The dedication and collaboration of all the involved parties in swiftly resolving this crisis show the strength and resilience of our community.”