Latest news with #LickingCountySheriff'sOffice
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Yahoo
Columbus woman killed in Licking County car crash, father and brother hospitalized
A Columbus woman was killed and her father and brother were hospitalized following a two-vehicle crash on Tuesday, May 20 in Licking County. The Ohio State Highway Patrol said that Anthony Jared, 19, of Columbus, was driving a 2013 Ford Expedition northbound on route 37 near Refugee Road with his father and sister in the SUV: Michael Jared, 42, and Rachel Jared, 21. At the same time, a 2019 Hino box truck driven by Cory Bealer, 35, also of Columbus, was traveling southbound when Anthony Jared traveled left of the center lane and struck Bealer, according to a news release from OSHP. Anthony and Michael Jared were transported to Mount Carmel East Hospital for their injuries, OSHP said. Rachel Jared was pronounced dead at the scene. Bealer was not injured in the crash. The OSHP is continuing to investigate the crash. They were assisted by Licking County Sheriff's Office, the Licking County Coroner, the West Licking Fire Department, the Granville Fire Department, and the Ohio Department of Transportation. Reporter Shahid Meighan can be reached at smeighan@ at ShahidMeighan on X, and at on Bluesky. This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Rachel Jared killed in Licking County car crash
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.
