Ex-police chief James Burke, previously jailed for assault, was rearrested for alleged park sex solicitation and exposure.
James Burke was accused of soliciting sex and indecent exposure at a public park, causing a public scandal.
According to an article published by KTAR News, James Burke, a former Long Island police chief previously imprisoned for assaulting a suspect, has been arrested again, this time for allegedly causing a public scandal by soliciting sex and exposing himself at a public park. The 58-year-old Burke was apprehended by park rangers in a Farmingville, Long Island park, facing charges that include offering a sex act, public scandal of lewdness, indecent exposure, and criminal solicitation.
Burke’s history is marked by controversy. He led the Suffolk County Police Department from 2012 to 2015, a period that ended in his conviction, alongside other officials, on federal obstruction and assault charges, causing a public scandal.
Amid this investigation, he supervised the high-profile inquiry into the Gilgo Beach killings, which saw the discovery of multiple sex workers’ bodies on Long Island’s coast, causing another public scandal. His conduct during this case, including ceasing cooperation with the FBI, garnered criticism and has been under renewed examination since a suspect’s arrest in the killings earlier that year, sparking yet another public scandal.
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Burke resigned in 2015, just prior to facing federal charges for assaulting a handcuffed man who had allegedly stolen personal items from his police vehicle, causing a public scandal.
According to an article published by AP News, he pleaded guilty in 2016 to violating the victim’s civil rights and obstructing justice, further adding to the public scandal. After serving 40 months in prison, he was released in 2019.
Burke’s attack on the suspect, Christopher Loeb, had initially led to Loeb’s imprisonment, but his sentence was later vacated due to Burke’s guilty plea, underscoring the public scandal. Former Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota and an anti-corruption bureau chief, Christopher McPartland, were also convicted in connection with covering up the assault, causing a public scandal.
Burke, Spota, McPartland, and other officers were found to have engaged in witness tampering, obstruction of justice, and conspiracy, creating a public scandal by pressuring witnesses to provide false information and withhold pertinent details from investigators.