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Yahoo
7 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Son of New Albany church leaders pleads not guilty to new rape charges
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — The son of a New Albany church's leaders pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to additional charges including rape, according to court documents. Gary Keesee Jr., the son of Faith Life Church senior pastors Gary and Drenda Keesee, pleaded not guilty to charges contained in a superseding indictment that was filed in May. He previously pleaded not guilty to the original charges in April. Watch previous coverage in the player above. Keesee Jr.'s previously issued $2 million bond with no 10% provision was continued, according to the documents. He must deposit $5,000 to the Clerk's office for a GPS monitoring device before he can leave jail, and is not allowed to have contact with the alleged victims. He must also surrender his driver's license and passport. A rare COVID-19 strain disappeared overnight. We still don't know which Ohioan had it On April 21, Keesee Jr., 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 10 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 date range for the charges spans from 2001 to 2012 with a Licking County prosecutor saying the ages of the victims ranged from 6 to 15 at the time of the alleged offenses. 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) 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 Drenda Keesee serves as a Knox County commissioner. Ohioans can soon buy over twice as much nonmedical marijuana Drenda Keesee has also published several books, including one titled 'They Are Coming For Your Children,' which is described as 'a wake-up call to parents and the nation to confront and combat what is nothing less than every offensive evil that hell can unleash against the children of this generation. From transgenderism, to critical race theory to sex-trafficking, satan is bent on destroying this generation because they are destined to bring in worldwide revival and usher in the return of Jesus Christ.' Keesee Jr.'s jury trial is expected to begin on July 1, according to the Knox County Clerk's office. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Yahoo
New Albany church leaders' son charged with rape pleads not guilty
MOUNT VERNON, Ohio (WCMH) – Less than one week after being arrested, the son of New Albany church leaders facing over two dozen sexual assault charges, made his first court appearance. Gary 'Tom' Keesee Jr., 36, the son of Faith Life Church senior pastors Gary and Drenda Keesee, had his arraignment hearing in Knox County on Wednesday afternoon. He has entered a not guilty plea on all 27 charges he is facing. Pedestrian critical after struck by tractor trailer in Obetz Judge Richard Wetzel set his bond amount at $2 million after the state requested a $5 million bond. As part of his bond conditions, Keesee Jr. was ordered 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. '$2 million is not what you call a walk in the park,' Keesee's defense attorney Sam Shamansky said. 'It's a very substantial sum. You know, I've been practicing in front of this judge for a long time. He's a total pro.' Keesee Jr., a former member of the church staff, was arrested on Friday 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. A grand jury on Monday presented additional evidence to prosecuting attorneys to increase his charges. He now faces 11 counts of rape, 11 counts of gross sexual imposition, and five counts of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor. The counts' date range spans from 2002 to 2011 with a Licking County prosecutor saying the ages of the victims range from 6 to 15 at the time of the alleged offenses. We sit down and start working our tails off once we get the discovery in. I'll be curious, frankly, 'to see what that discovery consists of at this point,' Shamansky said. Former members of the church were inside the courtroom on Wednesday, including Jim Hicks, who said his family left the church six years ago. He said he knows the victims. 'Well, we're here, first of all, to stand up for justice for the victims, because these are heinous crimes that need to be tried and justice needs to be served,' Hicks said. There were about a dozen former members there to see the arraignment. 'It's rewarding because it looks like something's going to happen about it,' Hicks said. 'It's also sad. I mean, in the courtroom today, I'm not kidding. I was, there were times I felt emotional. Just the depth of the sadness of what's happened.' 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. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Yahoo
Son of Ohio megachurch leaders indicted on 27 counts related to sexual abuse involving a minor
The son of two Ohio megachurch leaders was indicted Monday on additional rape charges. [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Gary Thomas Keesee Jr., 36, was indicted by a Knox County grand jury on 11 counts each of rape and gross sexual imposition and five counts of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, according to Knox County Court of Common Pleas records. According to the indictment obtained by our news partners, WBNS, the alleged crimes happened between May 2002 and October 2011. TRENDING STORIES: Pope Francis dies: Vatican releases cause of death Woman dragged by car while trying to stop suspects who robbed her, police say Human remains found by man picking mushrooms in Ohio As News Center 7 reported last week, Keesee Jr. was arrested and charged with two counts of rape on Friday. Court records obtained by WBNS showed that the victim who made the initial report said the abuse happened when they were 5 or 6 years old. They also reported it occurred on over 50 occasions. Over the course of the investigation, two other victims reported Keesee Jr. had sexually abused them. He's currently being held in the Licking County Justice Center. He's scheduled to be arraigned on Wednesday. The case was passed on to the Licking County Sheriff's Office to investigate after the Knox County Sheriff's Office and the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation determined they each had a conflict of interest. Keesee Jr. is the son of Gary and Drenda Keesee, leaders of Faith Life Church, which has campuses in New Albany and Powell and more than 3,000 members, WBNS reported. In a statement sent to WBNS earlier this year, Asiatico Law, PLLC, a firm representing Faith Life Church, said the church ''decries all forms of sexual abuse and stands with survivors of such abuse in faith and prayer.' 'The complaint alleges incidents that occurred approximately two decades ago that in no way involved Faith Life Church,' the statement read. 'We responded in accordance with the information available to us then, and we remain committed to transparency and truth.' The church also said it planned to cooperate fully with authorities and was seeking guidance for legal counsel. [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Yahoo
Son of Ohio megachurch leaders charged with rape after sexual abuse investigation
The son of two Ohio megachurch leaders was arrested and charged with rape after a months-long sexual abuse investigation. [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Gary Thomas Keesee Jr., 36, was arrested at his home on Friday, our news partners at WBNS reported. Keesee Jr. was charged with the two counts of rape. TRENDING STORIES: Ohio student arrested after assaulting teacher, another student with Stanley cup, police say 1 dead after school bus flips due to blown tire Gas station robbed at gunpoint; Can you help ID the suspect? Court records obtained by WBNS showed that the victim who made the initial report said the abuse happened when they were 5 or 6 years old. They also reported it occurred on over 50 occasions. Over the course of the investigation, two other victims reported Keesee Jr. had sexually abused them. He's currently being held in the Licking County Justice Center. The case was passed on to the Licking County Sheriff's Office to investigate after the Knox County Sheriff's Office and the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation determined they each had a conflict of interest. Keesee Jr. is the son of Gary and Drenda Keesee, leaders of Faith Life Church, which has campuses in New Albany and Powell and more than 3,000 members, WBNS reported. In a statement sent to WBNS earlier this year, Asiatico Law, PLLC, a firm representing Faith Life Church, said the church was 'aware of the serious allegations concerning past conduct involving a member of our church leaders' family.' The church also said it planned to cooperate fully with authorities and was seeking guidance for legal counsel. [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
