Latest news with #Keesee
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Yahoo
New charges, including rape, filed against son of New Albany church leaders
MOUNT VERNON, Ohio (WCMH) – The son of New Albany church leaders is facing new charges in addition to the over two-dozen sexual assault charges filed against him in April. According to a superseding indictment out of Knox County Court of Common Pleas, five new charges were added to the already 27 charges filed against Gary 'Tom' Keesee Jr., the son of Faith Life Church senior pastors Gary and Drenda Keesee. On April 21, Keesee, 36, was indicted on 11 counts of rape, 11 counts of gross sexual imposition and five counts of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor. Keesee Jr., a former member of the church staff, was arrested ten days prior in Johnstown by deputies with the Licking County Sheriff's Office. At the time of his arrest, he was charged with two counts of rape out of Mount Vernon Municipal Court. The counts' date range spans from 2001 to 2012 with a Licking County prosecutor saying the ages of the victims range from 6 to 15 at the time of the alleged offenses. However, a superseding indictment was filed Monday, which included five new charges, including two for rape and three for gross sexual imposition, first- and third-degree felonies, respectively. The unlawful sexual conduct with a minor charge is a fourth-degree felony. The superseding indictment lists the 32 total allegations along with the following date ranges: Dates Charge (counts) Nov. 2001-May 2004 Rape (5) Nov. 2001-May 2004 Gross sexual imposition (5) Oct. 2002 – Nov. 2006 Rape (5) Oct. 2002 – Nov. 2006 Gross sexual imposition (3) Dec. 2004 – Nov. 2006 Gross sexual imposition (1) Nov. 2006 – Oct. 2008 Rape (1) Nov. 2006 – Oct. 2008 Gross sexual imposition (2) Oct. 2008 – Oct. 2011 Unlawful sexual conduct with minor (5) June 2008 – June 2012 Rape (2) June 2008 – June 2012 Gross sexual imposition (3) Keesee pleaded not guilty to the first 27 charges in April, and he was issued a $2 million bond. Judge Rochard Wetzel also ordered Keesee to surrender his driver's license and passport to Licking County, make a $5,000 cash deposit for his GPS ankle monitor, and make no contact with the victims. In February, the Knox County Sheriff's Office asked the Licking County Sheriff's Office to investigate the church for allegations of sexual abuse of minors because Dendra Keesee serves as a Knox County commissioner. Records obtained by NBC4 show there are potentially dozens of victims and witnesses with the alleged abuse dating back decades. No evidence has yet indicated that any of the alleged offenses happened at the church, according to a Licking County prosecutor. Keesee's trial is scheduled to begin July 1. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Yahoo
Son of New Albany megachurch founders indicted on more rape, sexual imposition charges
The son of the founders of a New Albany megachurch who was charged with nearly 30 counts of sexual abuse charges in April was indicted by a Knox County grand jury on additional charges on Monday, May 19, according to court filings. Gary Thomas "Tom" Keesee Jr., 36, was indicted by a Knox County grand jury in April on 27 counts of rape, gross sexual imposition and unlawful sexual conduct. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges. According to a superseding indictment in Knox County Common Pleas Court filings, Keesee faces two additional counts of rape and three additional counts of gross sexual imposition, a third-degree felony. The new charges bring the total number of charges against Keesee to 32. Multiple women have accused Keesee of grooming them when they were minors and then later having sex with them, according to Knox County detectives. One of the first accusers was a Keesee family member who posted on Facebook and other social media sites that she was a victim of the abuse, along with several other women, some of whom may have been underage at the time. Tom Keesee is the son of Drenda and Gary Keesee, founders of the New Albany church. The allegations against Keesee blindsided Faith Life Church Leaders, according to Drenda Keesee, who is also a Knox County Commissioner. The initial charges accused Keesee of sexually assaulting a woman in May 2001 when she was 5 and 6 years old, The Dispatch previously reported. The victim told detectives that the abuse would happen "on over 50 occasions" at a home in Mount Vernon, in Knox County. The abuse continued until 2023, according to detectives. Keesee has been in custody at the Licking County jail on a $2 million bond since his arrest on April 18. Reporter Shahid Meighan can be reached at smeighan@ at ShahidMeighan on X, and at on Bluesky. This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Gary Keesee facing 5 more sexual abuse charges
