Times Observer photo by Brian Ferry Warren County Sheriff Brian Zeybel escorts Michael C. Burham into the Warren County Jail on June 19.

Bail for a county man accused of kidnapping a Sheffield couple at gunpoint and taking them to South Carolina is set at $1 million.

Michael C. Burham, 34, of Russell, formerly of Ashville (N.Y.), arrived in Warren County on Monday afternoon. He was brought from Chautauqua County, where he was being held, to Warren County jail by the Warren County Sheriff’s Office.

Sheriff Brian Zeybel escorted Burham from the courthouse parking lot through the sally port entrance to the jail shortly after 1:30 p.m.

Burham was arraigned before District Judge Raymond Zydonik on charges including three first-degree felonies – two counts of kidnapping and one of burglary; five other felonies – two counts of aggravated assault and one each of theft by unlawful taking, receiving stolen property, and criminal trespass; 15 misdemeanors; and three summary counts.

Each count of kidnapping carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison and up to a $25,000 fine, as does the burglary charge. The aggravated assault charges carry maximums of up to 10 years and a $25,000 fine each.

Zydonik set bail at $1 million and scheduled a preliminary hearing for 11 a.m. Tuesday, June 27.

Burham has been implicated in the May 11 death of Kala Hodgkin of Jamestown, N.Y., and is expected to face prosecution in New York after actions in Pennsylvania.

Burham reportedly fled New York state on May 11 into Warren County – resulting in a federal count of flight to avoid apprehension.

According to police, he kidnapped a Warren County couple from their home in Sheffield on May 20 and forced them to travel with him in their vehicle to North Charleston, S.C., where he reportedly left them unharmed in a cemetery on May 21.

Burham was captured by deputies in Berkeley County, S.C., on May 24 and returned to Chautauqua County.

He appeared in federal court in New York last week, where the federal charges were dismissed.

While the Chautauqua County District Attorney has said he plans to prosecute Burham, allowing Warren County to handle its case first provides additional time to develop the case in New York.