July 5, 2009 in News

Escaped felon seen in Spokane County

• Print
• Email
• Share

Authorities are warning Spokane-area residents to be on the lookout for an escaped felon who has mental disorders and should be avoided. Anyone who sees Anthony E. Burke, aka Anthony Garver, should immediately call 911.

Spokane County sheriff’s Detective David Thornburg said in a news release today that Burke, 21, was released from federal prison in California on Thursday and disappeared while traveling by Greyhound bus to Spokane.

Burke, who stands 5-11, 185-pounds with brown hair and eyes, failed to report to the Geiger Work Release Center at 5 p.m. Friday as required. The U.S. Marshals Service has since issued an escape warrant for Burke, who has been involved with threats to public officials and witnesses involved in his trial.

Burke was sentenced to three years of incarceration and three years supervised release after pleading guilty to the federal charge of possession of ammunition after having been committed to a mental institution. He was also under investigation by the Inland Northwest Joint Terrorism Task Force for threats to blow up public buildings and cause mass casualties at public events.

On Saturday, Burke was seen in the area of Forker and Morrison Roads.

“Burke has a history of mental disorders and has been violent in the past,” Thornburg wrote in a news release. “If observed, avoid contact and call 911 immediately.”

Both the Marshals Service and the Joint Terrorism Task Force consider Burke an “extreme risk” to reoffend, Thornburg said.

Five comments on this story so far. Add yours!

• 

  henry76 on July 05 at 6:04 p.m.

  sounds like mike myers from halloween wh the heck don’t societ delete these types of whackos. if you’re against that your the type of idiot that leads to someone like this doing timothy mcvay type stuff. im loaded if he comes my house i’ll shoot first n ask questions later period

• 

  opiemuyo on July 05 at 7:37 p.m.

  Lets see, high risk to re-offend, but put him on a bus and let him find his own way to Geiger work release? And people want the government to run health care also? Holy Crap!

• 

  henry76 on July 05 at 7:52 p.m.

  the healthcare system as it is right now is commiting murder by denial and republicans and steve are proud of that awesome more death=population control i guess for the private insured. how about the premature death rates dropping in canada. looks like its working for them obviously so what r u scared of? if you already are privatly insured you can still see you own doctor. everyone acts like people are gonna barge in and take away healthcare because more people have it its rediculous.

• 

  davidthewhat on July 05 at 10:29 p.m.

  Now you all see what incarcerating someone instead of giving mental health treatment causes. Is anyone shaking in your boots because an escaped felon is loose in the county or that he has a history of mental illness? If society cannot deal with such people other than to incarcerate them, then would it not deserve both escaped felons and dangerous people with mental health concerns that they would cause because of the extremes of the lack of concern for them and the lack of proper care given to them? If this man was given proper care instead of given time in prison then maybe he would not have escaped from community custody. It does little good to try to bend some people into shape by force. Sometimes it takes thoughtful, caring concern.

• 

  nslopeofw on July 05 at 11:47 p.m.

  Henry, how is not wanting to pay for someone else’s health care murder? If they need it, get a job and pay for it.