A police officer in Meade County has been suspended following his on-duty arrest for DUI and reckless driving.
The Meade County Sheriff’s Office said deputies “and Kentucky State Police were contacted on Thursday by Muldraugh Police Chief Tim Jackson to assist with an investigation of his officer, Jay R. Burke, allegedly being impaired while on duty.”
At the conclusion of the preliminary investigation, Burke, 49, of Vine Grove, was arrested for DUI and reckless driving and lodged in the Meade County Detention Center.
Based on a statement released by Jackson, Burke was “clearly under the influence of alcohol” and had a “strong odor of alcohol on (his) breath while he was in the office of an apartment complex.”
Burke was then taken from the apartment complex to the Muldraugh Police Department where he consented to a preliminary breath test where he registered a blood alcohol content of .077. Kentucky State Police then performed an Intoxilyzer 8000 test which registered Burke’s blood alcohol content at .090, according to Jackson.
Jackson’s complete statement on Burke’s arrest:
“Officer Burke has been suspended without pay while we proceed with the termination process. He has been relieved of all responsibilities within the City of Muldraugh. We would like to extend our gratitude to the Kentucky State Police (KSP) and the Meade County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) for their support during this serious matter. The City is actively collaborating with KSP and MCSO to ensure that responses to calls for service remain seamless during this time. The Muldraugh Police Department has a zero-tolerance policy for this type of violation of duty.”
“On the specified date and time, Officer Burke was on duty and clearly under the influence of alcohol. During a call in the City of Muldraugh, Chief Jackson detected a strong odor of alcohol on Officer Burke’s breath while he was in the office of an apartment complex. Officer Burke was then returned to the Police Department for questioning. During this interaction, Chief Jackson, the Mayor, and the City Clerk interviewed Officer Burke at the Muldraugh Police Department. He consented to a Preliminary Breath Test (PBT), which registered a blood alcohol content (BAC) of 0.077. Recognizing the seriousness of the situation, Chief Jackson requested the Kentucky State Police to conduct field sobriety tests and an Intoxilyzer 8000 test, which resulted in a BAC reading of 0.090. After the Kentucky State Police completed their assessments, Chief Jackson promptly contacted the Meade County Sheriff’s Office, and the Chief Deputy confirmed their commitment to take over the case.”
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com
