Now that’s a good boy! A chocolate-furred Labrador was praised by the authorities for ending the 9-day manhunt for an escaped prisoner.
Tucker, the chocolate-furred Labrador, was the one who spotted the fugitive in the vast Allegheny National Forest, according to a report.
The fugitive is Michael Burham, a 34-year-old man that was put under arrest for the murder of his ex-girlfriend. He escaped from jail last July 7, 2023.
Ron Ecklund, co-owner of Tucker, says that the Labrador dog went barking on their back porch and then ran to the 800 square mile forest last Saturday.
“Tucker jumps up and takes off for the creek,” said Ron.
“He wouldn’t come back. Normally, he’ll come back when I call him. So, Cindy and I jumped on the golf cart [and said], ‘Let’s go get our dog’,” he added.
When they got inside the forest, they spotted Burham standing by a creek.
“I knew who he was since I saw him and I’m kind of startled, you know? And I said, ‘What are you doing here?’ He said, ‘Camping’.” said Ron, after spotting the fugitive.
“Well, he had no camping gear. He wasn’t camping. So we just immediately drove back to the house and called 9-1-1.”
After calling, Burham is once again held captive by the local authorities. In some photos retrieved by Inside Edition from the authorities after Burham was apprehended, cops have described him being ‘tired and worn out’ – due to his appearance of being wet and disheveled.
The Ecklands, thanks to their best friend Tucker, received $22,000 in reward for the capture of the fugitive. In that amount, they said that the Labrador deserves a big chunk of it. They also claim that he also deserves a big chunk of meat.
“He likes his tennis balls so we’ll get him some tennis balls. And he’ll get steak dinner. We’re really proud of our hero,” said Ron.
“He’s always been a good dog. But he just went up another notch,” said Cindy, Ron’s wife and co-owner of Tucker.
The Ecklands also told Inside Edition that they are sure that they got the right guy in the creek. The couple is sure that it is Burham because they witnessed the latter’s tattoos on the news.
Other POP! stories that you might like:
‘This is why we strike’: Tommy Dorfman opens up about first season pay in ‘13 Reasons Why’
‘Never praised until death’: Morrissey cries foul over Sinéad O’Connor tributes
Sean Gunn protests on AMPTP for getting ‘almost none’ of Gilmore Girls’ streaming revenue
Study shows Taylor Swift is the most listened-to artist among students with high GPAs