Former Kansas City deputy charged with child sex abuse

A former sheriff’s deputy from the Kansas City area is facing child sex abuse charges for allegedly violating a child younger than 12.

Former Cass County Sheriff’s Deputy Michael Andrew Burke of Independence, Missouri, is facing life in prison after being charged with rape, sodomy and child molestation.

Burke allegedly had sexual intercourse with a girl younger than 12 in a locked bedroom and forced her to do other sexual acts over an undisclosed period of time, according to court documents.

An Independence police officer responded to a call in May 2025 reporting the girl was possibly being molested. She revealed Burke had touched her inappropriately and told her, “We can’t tell anyone.”

Burke is facing charges of first-degree rape, first-degree sodomy, statutory sodomy and second-degree child molestation. If convicted, Burke could serve a lifetime sentence in prison and is currently being held on a $50,000 cash-only bond.

According to the Cass County Sheriff’s Office, Burke was hired in October 2023 and resigned on July 7, 2025.