He’s got the court system spinning its wheels.
A career criminal with a penchant for taking work vans on joyrides has struck a dozen times since December alone — but remains on the streets because of the state’s lax bail reform laws.
Halbert Burke, 58, who has 60 busts under his belt since 1990, went on his current van-theft spree on Dec. 22, telling cops, “I took it for a joyride,” according to a criminal complaint.
But he didn’t stop there — he kept getting busted and walking without bail as recently as Feb. 18.
“The DAs at this point are so exhausted that after that many convictions they just charge him with misdemeanors,” one frustrated law enforcement source told The Post.
Burke has 11 convictions since 2017 on his record — and 24 felony arrests since then, sources said.
And yet, the system can’t hold him because state lawmakers passed criminal justice reform measures in 2019 that bar bail for most criminal offenses — including the grand larceny and criminal possession of stolen property charges Burke keeps getting hit with.
His recent alleged spree began on Dec. 22, when he allegedly walked into a parking lot on Drake Street in the Bronx shortly before 4:30 a.m. and drove off in a truck parked there, prosecutors said.
Shortly after 8 a.m. the very next day, Burke was arrested again at Second Avenue and East 126th Street in East Harlem for allegedly making off with a van owned by Luciano Trucking.
The driver told cops he parked the van but when he came back it was gone.
Police caught up with Burke, who said he took it for a joyride, according to a complaint.
Burke was charged in a string of thefts and a slew of others on Jan. 18, when he was arrested for allegedly making off with 10 vehicles, most of them for work vans and trucks, according to authorities.
Released without bail, the crafty criminal was back in handcuffs on Feb. 4, when he was arrested on Washington Avenue in the Bronx around 1:30 a.m. and charged with making off with a 2016 car — even though the driver told cops she locked the vehicle and took the keys with her.
Burke was allegedly caught on surveillance vehicle stealing the car, according to a complaint.
Released again, Burke was nabbed on Feb. 18 after police said he drove off in a white two-door van around 12:30 p.m. on Southern Boulevard in the Bronx.
According to the complaint, a witness saw Burke behind the wheel and he was arrested again, this time hit with unauthorized use of a vehicle and fourth degree criminal possession of a weapon after police said he had a black dagger on him when he was busted.
He now has five open cases — two in Manhattan and three in the Bronx — but remains free.
“This is what 35 years of being a perp looks like,” another source said.
Burke’s public defender attorney could not be reached for comment.
