SUFFOLK COUNTY, NEW YORK: James Burke, the former police chief of Suffolk County who is widely blamed for mishandling the Gilgo Beach murders investigation, was arrested on Tuesday morning for soliciting sex from an undercover park ranger.
He also exposed himself and offered a sex act in a public park near a Vietnam Veterans Memorial. He faces additional potential charges as well.
The development comes after suspect Rex Heuermann's arrest last month.
Why did James Burke beg before law enforcement not to arrest him?
Burke, 59, tried to avoid the arrest by begging the law enforcement officers and asking them, "Do you know who I am?"
He also said that the arrest would be a ‘public humiliation’ for him. However, his pleas did not work and he was taken into custody, the Daily Mail reported.
"At this time, he is charged with offering a sex act, public lewdness, indecent exposure, and criminal solicitation, with additional potential charges pending," Suffolk County spokeswoman Marykate Guilfoyle said in a statement.
This is not the first time that Burke has been involved in scandals and crimes. He had a history of using drugs and prostitutes, including having sex with one of them in his police car.
He also left his service weapon unattended in his patrol car with another woman.
James Burke's past arrests
In 2015, he was arrested and convicted for beating a heroin addict Christopher Loeb, who had stolen a duffel bag from his car.
The bag contained a gun belt, ammunition, sex toys and pornography.
He then tried to cover up the crime by obstructing justice and violating the civil rights of the victim.
He also kicked FBI agents off the Gilgo Beach case, which was ongoing at the time, to protect himself from scrutiny.
He served a 46-month prison term and was released in 2018. He was investigated again in 2017 after oxycodone was found in his prison cell, but the outcome of that probe is unknown.
Burke was once the highest-ranking uniformed officer in the county for four years, but now he is facing more legal troubles and public disgrace.
How did he bungle up the Gilgo Beach murders investigation?
Christopher Loeb was 26 when he was arrested in December 2012 for stealing from Bruke's car. Burke was found guilty of beating Loeb when he filed a complaint.
The investigation into the serial killings was, meanwhile, ongoing when authorities began investigating Burke for beating the heroin addict Loeb who had stolen a duffel bag from his car.
Burke, who was appointed chief of police in late 2011, several months after the initial discovery of four women’s bodies, removed FBI agents from the case and denied them access to forensic evidence.
He also refused to share information with other law enforcement agencies and delayed the release of a sketch of a potential suspect.
He did this because he feared that the FBI would uncover his own crimes and scandals which included using drugs and prostitutes, cross-dressing and obstructing justice.
