James Burke, the disgraced former Suffolk County Police Chief who spent 46 months in federal prison for beating a suspect, was arrested by county park rangers in Brookhaven on Tuesday morning.
Burke allegedly asked the arresting officers if they knew who he was, and added that the arrest would be a public humiliation for him — according to a press conference by Suffolk Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison.
Patch reported that Bellone’s office confirmed Burke was arrested at Suffolk County Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial Park and charged with offering a sex act, public lewdness, indecent exposure, and criminal solicitation, with additional potential charges pending.
James Burke’s Past Crimes
Suffolk police arrested Christopher Loeb in 2012 after Loeb was suspected of stealing a duffel bag from Burke’s car that contained ammunition, sex toys, and pornography.
According to prosecutors, Burke beat Loeb at the Fourth Precinct in Hauppauge.
Burke resigned in October 2015 amid the controversy, and was charged by a federal prosecutor in December 2015.
In February 2016, Burke pleaded guilty and received the 46-month sentence plus three years of supervised release from the late U.S. District Judge Leonard Wexler.
During his incarceration, oxycodone was found in his housing area at the federal prison in Allenwood, Pennsylvania — Burke was investigated, but the results were not made public.
James Burke In Popular Culture
Burke is known among “true crime enthusiasts” in relation to the Gilgo Beach serial killings, where it has been alleged that Burke blocked an FBI investigation.
Burke is the subject of a novel called “Jimmy the King: Murder, Vice, and Reign of a Dirty Cop” which discusses his rise through the ranks and tumultuous tenure as police chief.
