A brave Labrador who helped cops arrest an escaped inmate will be rewarded $2,000.
Micheal Burham, a self-proclaimed survivalist and former military reservist, broke out of Warren County Jail on July 6 through a hole in the gated covering of a rooftop exercise room.
Days after, Ron and Cindy Ecklund were enjoying a Saturday afternoon when their dog Tucker started barking.
When the chocolate lab would not come back when called, the couple hopped in their golf cart and sped to the creek.
After rushing to the water, they came face-to-face with Burham, who they recognised from TV.
Ron told Erie News Now: “I say, ‘Well, what are you doing?’ He says, ‘Camping’.”
The man then said: “I said, ‘Cindy, get back in the cart. Let’s go.’
“I said, ‘Okay, have a nice day.’ We started driving back, and I said, ‘Dial 911.’”
Police tracked Burham as he moved through and attempted to hide in the woods he had made his home since escaping from prison.
And he was arrested at gunpoint by officers from the US Marshalls, Customs and Border Protection, and NY State Police.
Burham was being held at Warren County Jail, not far from the Pennsylvania border with New York, on arson and burglary charges.
He is also a suspect in a homicide and rape case in Jamestown, New York, according to local authorities.
Now that the inmate is back in custody, Tucker has been rewarded for his help with $2,000 and a steak dinner.
“He’s been eating very well,” Cynthia added. “He’s a hero.”
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