Gary “Tom” Thomas Keesee Jr., 36, of Johnstown, was indicted Monday, April 21 by a Knox County grand jury on 11 counts of rape, 11 counts of gross sexual imposition and five counts of unlawful sexual conduct.
Keesee was arrested on the charges, some of which carry a mandatory 10-year sentence if convicted, on April 18 at his Johnstown home. He is currently being held in the Licking County Jail and is scheduled to appear for an arraignment hearing at Knox County Common Pleas Court on Wednesday, April 23 at 1 p.m.
The case involves three alleged victims, with ages ranging from approximately six to 15 years old at the time of the alleged abuse.
The incidents are alleged to have occurred between 2002 and 2011, when Keesee was between the ages 13 and 21.
“I just wanna make sure everyone realizes that our focus is on the victims,” Licking County Sheriff Randy Thorp said at an April 21 press conference. “That's what matters to us.”
Thorp's agecy undertook the investigation beginning Feb. 7 after the Knox County Sheriff’s Office and the Ohio Attorney General’s Office bowed out due to conflicts of interest regarding the Keesee family.
“The victims in this case, unfortunately, had to wait,” Thorp said. “It's my understanding that there were victims that came forward as early as December. We received the case in February. There were a couple of agencies that looked at doing the investigation. They opted not to for their reasons. But when we were asked, we felt obligated.”
Licking County Prosecutor Jenny Wells commended the Sheriff's Office for their investigation, which spanned multiple states and involved interviews with approximately 40 witnesses.
“Today the Knox County [grand jury] heard testimony and did return that 27 [count] indictment the sheriff spoke about involving three victims of sexual abuse who have come forward,” Wells said at the press conference. “These courageous young women have spoken out and come forward and they are to be commended for their bravery."
Wells said the victims were all minors at the time of the alleged abuse.
"Victims' ages range from approximately six years of age to 15 years of age," she said. "That includes all three. Some obviously were only six or seven. One was 10. The other victim, it was a long-term from approximately eight until 15."
Wells said the court will have discretion in sentencing if Keesee is convicted for any crimes that may have occurred when he was a minor.
“Common Pleas Court has jurisdiction on all those offenses,” she said. “So it just goes along with the adult charges as well and then the court takes that into consideration at the time of sentencing, after trial.”
Given the length of time that has passed since the alleged acts took place it is unlikely any physical evidence is associated with the charges.
“[The allegations] go back as far as 2002, 2003 and move forward. So I think it’s a little more than 14 years,” Licking County Sheriff Capt. Gus Moore told the Mount Vernon News.
While Moore declined to discuss specific evidence, citing the pretrial status of the case, he acknowledged that questions about corroborating accounts and evidence would need to be addressed in court.
“We have to be very cautious about what we can and can't say pre-trial,” he said. “So, that would be kind of the case—we have to wait until we're in open court for that to answer that question.”
Moore said the investigation is still underway and is not ruling out further charges in the case.
“There’s still more work to be done,” Moore said. “There’s still a possibility [of further charges], I guess, without speaking too far out of turn.”
Keesee is the son of New Albany-based Faith Life Church pastors Gary and Drenda Keesee. Drenda is a Knox County Commissioner.
The Keesees host several television shows on the Daystar Television Network and have authored dozens of books. Tom Keesee previously served as Chief Media Officer at Faith Life Church and grew up in the church with the alleged victims.
"There is no evidence that we received up to this point of anything occurring in the Church or at the Church," Wells said at the press conference.
Drenda Keesee, who did not respond to a request for comment from the Mount Vernon News, said in late March that she would not resign from her County Commissioner role following the sexual abuse allegations against her son.
Following Tom Keesee’s arrest on April 18, Faith Life Church issued a statement through its legal counsel, Katari Buck, a partner at Asiatico Law, denying any connection to the alleged incidents, which reportedly occurred outside church grounds.
“Faith Life Church is deeply saddened by the news of a criminal complaint filed against Gary Thomas (“Tom”) Keessee, Jr., the adult son of Pastors Gary and Drenda Keesee,” the church’s statement reads. “We know this is a difficult time for our community, our congregation, and all families involved. Faith Life Church decries all forms of sexual abuse and stands with survivors of such abuse in faith and prayer.”
The church emphasized that the alleged incidents did not involve church property or activities.
“The complaint alleges incidents that occurred approximately two decades ago that in no way involved Faith Life Church,” the statement reads. “The allegations have been investigated by the Licking County Sheriff’s Office, and Faith Life Church has cooperated fully with investigators. We responded in accordance with the information available to us then, and we remain committed to transparency and truth.”
Licking County Prosecutor Jenny Wells surrounded by Licking County Sheriff's Office members including Licking County Sheriff Randy Thorp to her right and Capt. Gus Moore in the far right. [Facebook / WMVO]
