Our tip line received *** call from some residents on Jackson Run Road in Congo township. That call came from right here. Ron and Cindy Ekland were just relaxing on their front porch on Saturday and Cindy had just gotten off of work. But all of *** sudden their dog Tucker started barking in the woods out back, Cindy and I got on the golf cart and started driving down to the creek. But for some reason, Tucker wouldn’t stop barking. She starts walking that way. So I get in the cart to follow her and then it happened, Ron from his golf cart takes *** look through this little window right here and what does he see? He sees Michael Burham standing up and I says, well, what are you doing? He says camping, but from the look of the strange figure, Ron knew exactly who he was. I said, Cindy, get back in the car. Let’s go. I said, ok, have *** nice day and we started driving back and dial 911. Authorities came to the house and the rest is history. It’s just not what you expect to be doing when you get home from work and then suddenly your driveway is full of people trying to find an escaped prisoner. But according to Ron and Cindy, not all heroes wear capes. He’s amazing. Yeah. Yeah, we did. We didn’t do anything but make *** phone call. If he had *** thumb, he might have. I don’t know.
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‘He’s the hero’: How a barking dog led to the arrest of an escaped inmate in Pennsylvania
Updated: 9:15 PM EDT Jul 17, 2023
After days on the run in northwest Pennsylvania, an escaped inmate was eventually captured by law enforcement after an assist from a couple with a barking dog.Ron and Cindy Ecklund told WICU their dog, Tucker, started barking in the woods behind their home in Conewango Township. The couple got on their golf cart, followed the dog’s barks and ended up encountering Michael Burham, a face who they’d seen on the news after his escape from a prison nearby.”I said, ‘Cindy, get back in the cart, let’s go,'” Ron Ecklund said. “And we started driving back, I said, ‘dial 911.'” The Ecklunds called the state police tip line about seeing Burham and, shortly after that, he was taken into custody without incident.The couple isn’t sure if they’d have seen Burham if Tucker’s barks hadn’t been persistent.”He’s the hero,” Ron Ecklund said. “We didn’t do anything but make a phone call. If he had a thumb, he might have, I don’t know,” Cindy Ecklund added. Watch the video above to hear the couple tell their story.
After days on the run in northwest Pennsylvania, an escaped inmate was eventually captured by law enforcement after an assist from a couple with a barking dog.
Ron and Cindy Ecklund told WICU their dog, Tucker, started barking in the woods behind their home in Conewango Township. The couple got on their golf cart, followed the dog’s barks and ended up encountering Michael Burham, a face who they’d seen on the news after his escape from a prison nearby.
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“I said, ‘Cindy, get back in the cart, let’s go,'” Ron Ecklund said. “And we started driving back, I said, ‘dial 911.'”
The Ecklunds called the state police tip line about seeing Burham and, shortly after that, he was taken into custody without incident.
The couple isn’t sure if they’d have seen Burham if Tucker’s barks hadn’t been persistent.
“He’s the hero,” Ron Ecklund said.
“We didn’t do anything but make a phone call. If he had a thumb, he might have, I don’t know,” Cindy Ecklund added.
Watch the video above to hear the couple tell their story.
