Michael Burham

It could be a week or more before the Chautauqua County man taken into custody last week on numerous federal and local arrest warrants is back in New York.

Jason Schmidt, Chautauqua County district attorney, released a statement Tuesday on Michael Burham — the 34-year-old arrested in South Carolina capping a nearly two-week search.

Last known to have lived in Ashville, Burham had been wanted locally on charges of rape and unlawful imprisonment when he was implicated in the May 11 death of Kala Hodgkin. The 34-year-old mother of three was found dead inside her William Street home in Jamestown.

“My understanding is that the U.S. Marshals Service is handling his transport back to the Western District of New York and that his ETA is not yet clear,” Schmidt said. “It may take another week or two, if not more, before he is back in New York.”

Documents filed in U.S. District Court in the Western District of New York detail the alleged crimes committed by Burham in New York and Pennsylvania before he fled south.

Moments after police were called to Hodgkin’s home the early morning of May 11, Jamestown police received word from another woman who said Burham had tried to break into her home. When the break-in failed, Burham allegedly set her car on fire. The incident was captured on a doorbell camera and later shared by police.

Court documents state Burham on May 20 — nine days after the homicide — kidnapped a man and woman from their Sheffield home in Warren County. The pair was later reported missing by a relative.

According to an affidavit obtained by the Post and Courier newspaper in Charleston, S.C., the couple was found in a cemetery by North Charleston police officers. The woman told police that Burham had appeared in her garage in Sheffield with a revolver and drove the two to South Carolina.

Police located the pair’s sport utility vehicle in a nearby parking lot. Inside was a note that, in part, read, “Sorry for all the problems I caused the family. … I’m not sorry for what I did, however I do feel terrible about the children…”

The note, apparently addressed to Burham’s father, was included in the FBI affidavit attached to the criminal complaint filed May 22 in U.S. District Court in New York.

Following a days-long manhunt, Burham was taken into custody late Wednesday afternoon in South Carolina near the Berkeley-Charleston county line.

In a news release from the FBI, authorities credited an observant Berkeley County resident who spotted Burham near his home and immediately called 911. Responding law enforcement agencies used K-9s to track Burham, which aided in his arrest.

“Every single law enforcement team, from Buffalo to South Carolina, was determined and committed to finding this dangerous man,” Matthew Miraglia, special agent in charge of the FBI Buffalo field office, said in a statement last week. “Burham had evaded law enforcement long enough. I am thankful no one was injured and grateful to all the law enforcement agencies that came together and of course, the community members who provided tips along the way. We all came together. Our communities are safer tonight because of those efforts.”

In addition to the local warrants for rape, unlawful imprisonment and arson in New York and kidnapping in Pennsylvania, Burham is facing a federal charge of unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.

Schmidt said Burham went before a South Carolina judge where he waived “any objection” to his extradition on the federal warrant.

“I have already been in contact with the Pennsylvania and federal prosecutors, and we are coordinating the respective prosecutions so that it makes the most sense for all of us, taking into account that our homicide investigation is still being put together,” the DA said. “Ms. Hodgkin’s death is obviously the most serious event in this tragic chain of events and it is critical to all of us that we proceed diligently but very carefully, especially given our discovery obligations in the face of an investigation that spans across multiple states and multiple law enforcement agencies.”

Schmidt added, “I will try to be as transparent as I can given the seriousness of the case. My heart goes out to the family of Ms. Hodgkin and we are working hard to ensure that the responsible person be held accountable for his actions.”

To date, no charges related to Hodgkin’s death have been announced. Schmidt said Burham was the “subject of an ongoing homicide investigation” arising from her death.

Capt. Robert Samuelson of the Jamestown Police Department told the Post and Courier newspaper that Hodgkin had reported an assault to the department; her report led to police issuing a warrant for Burham’s arrest April 27.

Burham and Hodgkin had previously been in a relationship together, and the two shared a child.