Man accused of raping minor in Columbus over nine years extradited from Florida

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – A man awaiting extradition from Florida after being accused of raping a minor over nine years faced a Franklin County judge this week.

According to court records, 50-year-old Robert Burke was returned to Columbus from Largo, Florida, on allegations of raping of a minor, which allegedly began in 2015. Burke was named a suspect after a woman told police in St. Petersburg that he had been assaulting her for years, a report from Central Ohio Crime Stoppers said.

Burke and the victim previously lived in a part of Mifflin Township that's surrounded by northeast Columbus, which is where the victim said the rapes began. She told police that Burke assaulted sex from ages 13 to 21 and she gave birth to a child that he had fathered in 2023.

A warrant for his arrest was issued Nov. 18, and court documents in Pinellas County, Florida, show he was arrested Dec. 2. The criminal complaint listed a charge of fugitive warrant rape.

Burke was extradited to Columbus on Wednesday and issued a $500,000 bond Thursday in municipal court. He is next scheduled to appear in court on Friday.