Stolen tire case: Former fire official would pick up tires in Indian River County truck or trailer, investigators found

INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — New details emerged in the grand theft case facing recently retired assistant EMS chief Brian Burkeen, who was charged Monday with stealing nearly $300,000 from the county in a tire-reselling scheme.

Burkeen would buy tires from Vero Beach Goodyear stores, charging them to Indian River County, and resell them for cash on the black market, said Sheriff Deryl Loar.

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"Goodyear invoice records indicate between June 2014 and February 2018, Brian Burkeen carried out a total of $288,251.92 worth of tires," according to Burkeen's arrest warrant.

Managers at both Goodyear stores, at 755 21st St. and 1920 58th Ave., said Burkeen told them he "buys extra tires that will be given out to citizens who filed lawsuit claims when their vehicle tires are damaged due to poor county road conditions (hitting a pothole)," the warrant said.

Burkeen would either pick the tires up in a county work truck or haul them off in a county trailer, investigators said. Burkeen was permitted in 1999 to take home his county-owned vehicle, according to records in his personnel file.

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One of the managers said he remembered Burkeen carrying out tires in 2014, but Goodyear's records do not go back further than June 2014.

Fire Chief John King contacted the 58th Avenue store on Feb. 26, according to emails obtained by TCPalm. He was requesting additional information about an "excessive amount of tires" purchased between Jan. 19 and Feb. 8 costing the county about $28,000, according to the warrant.

"The invoices do not match tires on Indian River County vehicles," King wrote in a March 7 letter formally refusing payment for the charges.

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The Sheriff's Office was brought in Feb. 27, launching an investigation immediately.

"During my investigation I had numerous people contact me and advise me they bought tires from Brian Burkeen," a detective wrote in the warrant.

Buyers included coworkers, strangers who saw online ads and two Brevard County firefighters. There was nothing to suggest they knew the tires were stolen, according to the detective.

Burkeen will be represented by Vero Beach attorney Andy Metcalf. Metcalf declined comment Tuesday.

"This is an ongoing investigation. We have clues and tips coming in almost daily. This investigation has taken us to Brevard County, St. Lucie County and throughout Indian River County," Loar said at a Monday news conference.

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Burkeen grew up in Illinois and moved to Indian River County in the mid-1980s. He was first hired by Indian River County Fire Rescue in 1989.

In his nearly 30 years with the county, Burkeen never was marked below excellent or good on his annual performance reviews, his personnel file showed. He received numerous promotions through the years and reached the position of assistant EMS chief in 2005.

Burkeen, a married father of two, retired Feb. 9. His salary was $107,084 at the time, according to personnel records.

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Burkeen was elected to the Sebastian City Council in 2005, serving as vice mayor until he was thrust into the mayor's role in August 2006 when Nate McCollum resigned. He lost a re-election bid in 2007.

Burkeen filed for bankruptcy twice in the past two decades, once in 1998 and once in 2011.

The most recent case was closed in September 2016. Burkeen's wages had been garnished for five years, court records show. Nearly $125,000 in debt was forgiven after about $20,000 was paid.

In the 2011 filing, Burkeen listed $26,000 in his retirement account, six horses and four dogs among his assets.

The charges

Investigators said Burkeen’s earliest dealing uncovered so far goes back to October, when a friend and coworker of Burkeen said he purchased four tires at $700 from him. The serial numbers on the tires were traced back to tires Burkeen picked up Oct. 3 and charged to the county’s account for $1,170.56, deputies report.

A county Emergency Operations Center employee also told deputies she purchased tires from Burkeen after he overheard her at work talking about needing new ones and told her he could get a deal, according to deputies. Burkeen told her his friend worked at the Goodyear on 58th Avenue, deputies report.

The woman said Burkeen delivered the tires to her husband Jan. 26 and charged the couple $320. Deputies discovered the tires were charged to the county’s account at $484.56 with Burkeen’s signature on the invoice, records show.

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Through the course of the investigation, deputies spoke with two men who had been purchasing tires through Burkeen after he posted an ad on Facebook for "cheap new Goodyear tires for sale."

Both men said they had been purchasing tires from Burkeen since 2017, deputies report.

One of the men told investigators Burkeen said his brother worked at the shop and could cut him a deal, according to the warrant.

The tires currently on the man’s truck are tires Burkeen recently sold him for $600. The serial numbers on the tires matched those picked up by Burkeen at Goodyear Feb. 1 for $875.56 and charged to the county, according to reports.

The other Facebook user said Burkeen told him he had a relative who owned a tire distribution factory, records show. He said Burkeen was under the name "Percipher Pucklebrush" on Facebook, a nickname fire department employees said Burkeen is known to use.

The man recently bought tires from Burkeen in January for $650. Those matched tires Burkeen signed for and picked up Jan. 15 at Goodyear for $1,012.84, according to deputies.

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In another deal, a Brevard County firefighter told deputies Burkeen said his brother was an employee at Goodyear. Burkeen asked him to spread the word because his brother was retiring Feb. 6, so this was the last chance to get a discount, deputies report. Burkeen retired Feb. 9.

The firefighter said Burkeen charged him $800 for a set of four tires for him and another $480 for a set for another Brevard County firefighter. In a series of texts Jan. 30, Burkeen told the firefighter he had 48 tires at his home, and to just take the sizes he needed and leave the money in his blue truck.

The firefighter told deputies he remembered seeing about two dozen sets stacked up in Burkeen’s barn.

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The serial numbers on the tires purchased by the firefighter matched ones Burkeen bought at the county’s expense on Jan. 23 and Jan. 30 for a total of $1,915.04, according to deputies.

When deputies responded to Burkeen’s home March 5 for an interview, he advised them his lawyer told him not to make statements, “but added he wanted to pay back the money,” the warrant said.