Vineyard Haven man sentenced to 11 years in attempt to kidnap former girlfriend in Michigan

WEST BLOOMFIELD TWP, MI – A Vineyard Haven man was sentenced to nearly 11 years in prison for driving to Michigan and attempting to kidnap a former girlfriend he hadn’t seen in nearly 20 years. Police stopped Damon Burke in suburban Detroit and discovered brass knuckles, zip ties, a stun gun, duct tape and other items in a Louis Vuitton bag in his car. Assistant U.S. Attorney for Eastern Michigan Christopher Rawsthorne said in a court filing “Burke committed an offense so serious, and with a fact pattern so bizarre and frightening, that it sounds more like a movie than real life.” Authorities arrested Burke after he assaulted the former girlfriend’s roommate and stealing a house key. Burke’s defense attorney said Burke was a personal trainer and soccer coach prior to the arrest, adding that “He would not have been able to hold those positions if the community did not have trust in him and further indicate that his actions here were out of character.”