A Key West man who admitted to two felony charges of boating under the influence is heading to state prison for violating his probation by getting arrested for stealing a tricycle frame

A Key West man who admitted to two felony charges of boating under the influence is heading to state prison for violating his probation by getting arrested for stealing a tricycle frame

KEY WEST, MAY 17, 2018 – On May 9, William Burkett, 54, admitted the violation and Monroe County Circuit Court Judge Mark Jones revoked probation and sentenced him to 24 months in prison. The prosecutor in the case was Assistant State Attorney Nicholas Trovato.

The two BUI arrests happened in Key West within two weeks of each other in late 2015. Burkett pleaded guilty to both and was sentenced on Jan. 13, 2016. They were felonies because Burkett has three prior convictions for driving under the influence on his record.

On Nov. 28, 2015, reports say, Burkett launched a boat from the ramp of the Garrison Bight Marina at 1801N. Roosevelt Blvd. The boat struck a docked Seahunter charter-fishing boat owned by Michael Weinhofer, creating a hole in the port bow of the Seahunter.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Officer Jeremy Foell was dispatched and Weinhofer told him it appeared Burkett was drunk. Burkett at that time was on the dock with Key West police officers. Foell found three empty beer cans in Burkett’s boat, his report says, along with “a half-empty cup of a liquid substance that had the odor of an alcoholic beverage.”

Foell wrote in his report that Burkett told him, “Man to man, he had drank several beers before driving the boat.” Burkett refused field sobriety tests and to submit to a breath alcohol test, Foell wrote in his report. He arrested Burkett for operating a boat while impaired and refusing to submit to a breath alcohol test.

Days later on Dec. 6, 2015, FWC officers Jeremy Munkelt and Adam Garrison were patrolling around 7:55 p.m. and stopped a boat operated by Burkett heading out from the dingy dock at the Key West Bight, 201 William St., because the boat didn’t have navigational lights on and it was well past sunset.

Munkelt wrote that while waiting for Burkett to produce the boat’s registration, he could “smell the odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from his person” and that his speech was “slurred and slow.” Suspecting Burkett was impaired, the FWC officer put him through “seat field sobriety tasks.” Burkett reportedly failed all four. He was charged with operating a boat under the influence and refusing to submit to a breath alcohol test.

In the petit theft case, the owner of the tricycle frame reported to police on Dec. 7, 2017, that someone stole the frame from a bike rack in front of the Waterfront Brewery, 201 William St. The tricycle had no tires on it because those had been stolen previously, the owner told police.

A Key West police report says videotape surveillance shows a man ride up to the bike rack on a tricycle, fiddle with the lock and chain, walk out of view and then come back with a saw. The report says the man cut off the lock and put the tricycle frame on his own tricycle’s rear basket and secured it with bungee cords, then left the area via Margaret Street. From the video, police got a still photo of the suspect and distributed it department-wide.

Two weeks later, a man was pulled over on a tricycle that police say initially looked similar to the suspect’s tricycle in the video. It turns out it wasn’t the same tricycle but by coincidence, the person pulled over turned out to be Burkett’s former roommate, reports say. When shown the suspect’s photo, the man said it was Burkett.

Key West police arrested Burkett Feb. 1 during a traffic stop on Duck Avenue based on a warrant signed Jan. 18 by Circuit Court Judge Bonnie Nelms.

Contact: Public Information Officer Larry Kahn, (305) 289-2899.

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