Former Indian River County Fire Rescue assistant chief charged with tire thefts

Recently retired Indian River County Fire Rescue Assistant Chief Brian Burkeen committed grand theft "to the tune of nearly $300,000" by purchasing tires from Vero Beach Goodyear stores and reselling them for cash on the black market, Indian River County Sheriff Deryl Loar said.

Burkeen was arrested Monday morning and charged with one count of grand theft and five counts of dealing in stolen property.

"It's hard to explain how tires that were purchased with county dollars wound up on, essentially, civilians' automobiles. And we know for a fact that those tires are the ones, because the serial numbers match," Loar said during an afternoon news conference.

The Indian River County Sheriff's Office arrested Burkeen, a 55-year-old Fellsmere resident, after he turned himself in, Loar said. Burkeen was briefly booked into jail, then released on $125,000 bail. He is scheduled to appear in court April 18.

"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.

Burkeen started his departmental career in 1989 as a paramedic, then earned promotion to various supervising positions through the years. He was promoted to assistant fire chief in December 2005.

He submitted his retirement notice just after New Year’s Day, effective Feb. 9. He was earning an annual salary of $107,084, according to his personnel file.

The tire thefts date back to 2014, Loar said. Burkeen picked up the tires using a fire rescue pickup truck and utility trailer, Loar said — and some makes and models of tires Burkeen bought would not have fit any county fire rescue vehicles.

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From June 2014 through February, Goodyear invoice records indicate that Burkeen took out $288,252 worth of tires from Vero Beach stores on 21st Street and 58th Avenue, his arrest affidavit states.

Burkeen told tire buyers that he had a friend or relative in the tire business, Loar said, and he could acquire them "at cost." Loar said it does not appear tire buyers knew the sales were illegal, and investigators have "zero indication" that Goodyear employees knew of Burkeen's activities.

After Burkeen retired, other workers who assumed his responsibilities noticed inconsistencies in accounting practices and saw that a large number of tires had been purchased from Goodyear using county dollars, Loar said.

Indian River County Fire Chief John King contacted the Sheriff's Office on Feb. 27 after he noticed that Burkeen had bought $28,000 worth of tires — "an excessive amount" — between Jan. 19 and Feb. 8, according to the arrest affidavit.

"In fact, Mr. Burkeen even purchased a very large amount of tires the day before he retired, which is troubling," Loar said.

He said it appears Burkeen oversaw that particular purchasing unit, so no "major flags" were noticed. Burkeen was responsible for fleet vehicle maintenance, his arrest affidavit shows.

An upcoming forensic inquiry will examine the case's pertinent policies and procedures, Indian River County Commission Chairman Peter O'Bryan said.

"It was a great shock to all of us, all of us that knew Brian. It was a punch in the gut, quite frankly," O'Bryan said.

"But we will look into this and make sure we adjust our policies, so it doesn't happen again," he said.

Indian River County Fire Rescue Assistant Chief Cory Richter declined comment on the matter, deferring comment to Indian River County attorney Dylan Reingold.

Reingold said Indian River County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller Jeff Smith has assigned an internal auditor, who is conducting a full review.

"We've also spoken with our external independent auditors. And they've been advised of the investigation," Reingold said.

He said he did not know whether the charges will affect Burkeen's retirement benefits. When a detective approached Burkeen earlier this month and asked if he could interview him, Burkeen said his lawyer had advised him to not make any statements — but he wanted to pay the money back, the arrest affidavit states.

Contact South Brevard Watchdog Reporter Rick Neale at 321-242-3638 or rneale@floridatoday.com. Twitter: @RickNeale1