65-year-old man charged with rape at home for abused, neglected children in Cookeville

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - A 65-year-old man who works at Mustard Seed Ranch (MSR) in Putnam County was arrested on the property Friday for allegedly raping a child who was in short-term care there, according to the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office.

According to the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO), on Feb. 20, the Department of Children’s Services notified the PCSO about a potential situation involving a child at MSR. The following day, investigators did a forensic interview, which gave them probable cause for a search warrant.

Around 8 p.m. the same day, PCSO investigators executed that search warrant at MSR on Kuykendall Road. There, they arrested 65-year-old Dale Burbank and charged him with statutory rape by an authority figure. Burbank used to live in Michigan, PCSO said. His bond is set at $70,000, and he has a court date on March 31, 2025.

In a statement released Saturday, Putnam County Sheriff Eddie Farris called the arrest a “bad, hopefully isolated incident that took place while a child was in a short-term care at this facility.”

“The Mustard Seed Ranch has been operating in our community since 2006,” Sheriff Farris said. “It is a highly respected Christian based Residential Licensed Child Care Agency, and it has helped many children in our community over the years.”

According to its website, MSR “is a community-supported, interdenominational Christian ministry designed to take children out of unsafe environments and into loving, nurturing homes.” They have three existing homes that are near capacity, the website said.

The sheriff said anyone with any information regarding this incident should contact PCSO Detective Boyer at (931) 365-8605.