19-05-2025
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
