A retired Colorado doctor with terminal cancer admitted trafficking cocaine and ketamine nearly a year after Massachusetts police officers arrested him with the drugs and an unlicensed gun aboard his yacht.
Dr. Scott Burke, 70, who practices medicine in Denver and also has an address in Key Largo, Florida, was arrested in September after authorities received a call about a woman who had possibly overdosed and wanted abandon ship, and found ’43g of cocaine, 14 grams of ketamine, two guns and ammunition’ on board.
He initially pleaded not guilty to the criminal charges against him, but on Tuesday in Nantucket District Court, Burke pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, possession of ketamine with intent to distribute, and possession of a weapon and ammunition. Unlicensed. reports the Boston Globe.
Charges related to possession of a high-capacity firearm were dropped as part of a plea deal and he was sentenced to one year of probation.
Dr. Scott Burke, 70, pleaded guilty Tuesday to possession of cocaine and ketamine with intent to distribute, as well as possession of a gun and ammunition without a license.
He was sentenced to serve one year of probation as part of a plea deal.
Police said they found the drugs and three firearms, one of which was loaded, in Burke’s bedroom aboard his 70-foot motor yacht, named Jess Conn, after receiving a call from a man in Dallas. , Texas, who was worried about his friend on board.
The man told authorities he had been talking to his friend, a 33-year-old woman, all night on FaceTime and that she “mentioned wanting to get off the boat” before passing out and hanging up the call.
First responders who arrived at the scene found the woman lying on a bed “awake but extremely lethargic,” according to court documents obtained by the Globe.
The woman would later tell police officers on the boat that she didn’t feel safe and was “scared to be on the boat.”
She was then transported to Nantucket Cottage Hospital, while police continued to raid the ship.
Police boarded Burke’s yacht in September after receiving a call for a welfare check on a woman on board.
They found two guns and various ammunition in Burke’s bedroom, a loaded gun on the bookshelf, a plastic bag of cocaine and two overnight FedEx priority envelopes, according to the Globe.
Law enforcement sources also told the Nantucket Current that sex workers were discovered aboard the ship during the raid.
When asked about the articles, Burke He claimed he had gun licenses, but authorities later discovered they had been issued in Florida and expired a year early.
He also claimed he had no knowledge of any drugs on board his yacht, which he apparently named after his children, Jessica and Connor.
Burke initially told authorities he had no knowledge of any drugs aboard the ship and that he had a weapons license.
Burke would appear in court in Nantucket that same month to face criminal charges for the first time.
At that hearing, his attorney claimed that the woman who had apparently overdosed was a friend of the ship’s captain who had been hired to work as a waitress.
He noted that Burke had more than a dozen guests aboard the Jess Conn the week before his arrest, including some who were invited by crew members.
Then, when some of the crew left the yacht to attend a wedding, the woman asked if she could stay on board for a few days until they returned, attorney Hank Brennan said.
He said Burke agreed the woman could stay and blamed the raid on a “disgruntled ex-boyfriend,” the Globe reports.
Burke, who practiced medicine in Colorado, apparently named the yacht after his children.
“This was simply a case about a gentleman who had the authority to possess firearms and was not aware that his Second Amendment right was not afforded more than a mile off the coast of Nantucket,” Brennan said after his client will plead guilty this week.
“We appreciate the District Attorney’s careful consideration and the delicate balance between defending the community and demonstrating empathy.”
Brennan added that he is “confident that Dr. Burke would be vindicated if we held a jury trial, however, time is not a luxury that we had at our disposal,” noting that Burke has late-stage cancer.
A spokesperson for the Cape and Islands District Attorney’s Office indicated that Burke’s poor health was a factor in his decision to offer the plea deal.
“We were informed that the defendant was being treated for terminal cancer while the case was pending,” spokeswoman Danielle Whitney said.
“In light of the defendant’s age, lack of criminal history, and his health, we accept the terms of his disposition.”
