Ex-New York police chief who once led Gilgo Beach probe arrested on sexual misconduct charges

NEW YORK (AP) — A former suburban New York police chief who once led the Gilgo Beach killings investigation and later went to prison for beating a suspect was arrested again Tuesday for allegedly soliciting sex at a Long Island park.

James Burke, Suffolk County’s chief of police from 2012 to 2015, was taken into custody by park rangers around 10:15 a.m. at Vietnam Veterans Memorial Park in Farmingville, a spokesperson for County Executive Steve Bellone said.

Burke, 58, is charged with offering a sex act, public lewdness, indecent exposure, and criminal solicitation, Bellone’s spokesperson Marykate Guilfoyle said.

Burke’s lawyer in his previous case died last year. It wasn't immediately clear if he had a lawyer who could speak on his behalf regarding Tuesday's arrest. The Suffolk County district attorney’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

Burke led the Suffolk County Police Department for a tumultuous three-year period that culminated in his arrest and guilty plea to federal charges for beating a handcuffed man suspected of stealing pornography, sex toys and other items from his department SUV.

The scandal also toppled the county's longtime district attorney and the county's top corruption prosecutor, who were convicted of helping Burke cover up the beating.

During his tenure, Burke oversaw the high-profile investigation into the deaths of multiple sex workers whose remains were found in the area of Gilgo Beach on a desolate stretch of Long Island coastline.

Burke has been accused of impeding the long-stalled investigation by blocking the police department’s cooperation with federal authorities. A man suspected of committing at least three of the killings was arrested earlier this summer.

Burke resigned...