American fugitive preferred suicide to jail

Scott James Heinke

On Tuesday we reported about the suicide of Michael Virgin, the American firefighter had made previous attempts on his life. The cops in the U.S. were looking for him because his wife indicated he sent emails to her expressing his tendency to try again. But it seems that on the heels of his suicide on San Pedro, another American who was wanted in the U.S. decided to take his own life. It’s an unusual tale since it started as a gun and ammunition raid at nine a.m.  On Thursday morning and wound up with the suicide of forty three year old Scott James Heinke, seven and a half hours later. According to Punta Gorda Police, they conducted a search of Heinke’s sailboat where they found one point thirty eight Special Smith & Wesson Revolver, six live rounds of point thirty eight caliber ammunition and fifteen twelve-gauge cartridges.  On board the vessel was Heinke’s girlfriend, twenty seven year old Elise Roberta Strout. Both Heinke and Strout were arrested and charged for the offence of Keeping an Unlicensed Firearm and Keeping unlicensed ammunition.  The court ordered that they both be remanded until June ninth.  The US embassy informed the police that Heinke was wanted in the U.S. for Fraud and other crimes. But in Court Heinke informed the magistrate that onboard his unsecured vessel, he had a large stash of cash from which he could pay his fine.  Three police officers were instructed to escort Heinke so he could have secured his vessel and property.  Two officers secured ropes at opposite sides of the sailboat while one officer kept guard of Heinke.  According to the cops, at four thirty p.m., Heinke quickly grabbed onto a rope ladder and scurried up the mast before they could hold onto him. That’s when he placed a cable around his neck. He did not jump immediately. There was a stand-off with the police, officers from the immigration department and the fire service. Heinke’s female companion was also brought on the scene to help convince him to come back down.  But at six forty p.m., knowing that he was facing charges in the U.S. and also in Belize, it seemed too much for the U.S. national who then jumped. His body was transported to the Punta Gorda Town Hospital for a post mortem examination.