ATTLEBORO — A Dedham man wanted on warrants for a dozen charges, including firearms offenses, has been ordered held without bail after allegedly leading Mansfield police on a high-speed chase that ended with a crash in Foxboro and the confiscation of drugs.
John R. Burke, 57, who a prosecutor said has a 26-page criminal record, was arraigned Wednesday in Attleboro District Court, where Judge Neil Hourihan revoked his bail on pending cases in Dedham District Court.
Burke was arrested about 2 a.m. Wednesday after he allegedly fled from Mansfield Officer Gregory Martell in a reportedly stolen car when Martell attempted to stop him at the Red Roof Inn on Forbes Boulevard in Mansfield.
According to a prosecutor and a police report, Burke drove onto Route 106 for about three miles into Foxboro after initially stopping and traveled at speeds of up to 90 mph before hitting a guardrail trying to turn onto Taylor Road. The car then went 25 feet down an embankment into thick brush, authorities said.
There was no other traffic on the road at the time and Martell temporarily lost sight of the car as it got farther away from him, according to the report.
Because he had fled from police it was feared he had a gun, Burke was arrested at gunpoint with the help of Foxboro Officer Brendan Fayles, Mansfield Officer Langston Puller and a state trooper, according to the report.
Burke, who was able to get out of the car on his own, was taken by ambulance to Good Samaritan Medical Center in Brockton where he was released to police custody after medical treatment.
The car, a 2009 Chevrolet Impala that his lawyer said is owned by his mother, sustained significant damage. There was also damage to about 40 feet of guardrail at an estimated cost of $10,000, according to the police report.
Mansfield K9 Ronan and his handler Officer Mike Fitzgerald searched the area for a handgun but nothing was found.
Inside the car, police say they found a baggie containing a substance a prosecutor said was field tested and confirmed to be crystal methamphetamine. Also found were numerous bottles of prescription pills, including one bottle that had a mixture of pills inside it, according to the report.
During a bail hearing, a prosecutor asked the judge to revoke Burke’s bail on the pending warrants which include drug possession, unlawfully carrying a loaded firearm and two other weapons charges.
His lawyer argued that the car Burke was driving is his mother’s car and he had her permission to take it. The lawyer said she was hospitalized and scheduled for surgery Wednesday.
Burke pleaded innocent to failing to stop for police, driving to endanger, speeding, receiving a stolen motor vehicle, possession of methamphetamine and unlawful possession of prescription pills.
Foxboro police are also seeking traffic and malicious damage charges against Burke in Wrentham District Court.
Burke’s case in Attleboro District Court was continued to next month for a pretrial conference.
David Linton may be reached at 508-236-0338.
