A grand jury in the Knox County Common Pleas Court indicted former Faith Life Church official Gary Thomas “Tom” Keesee Jr. Monday, April 21, on 11 counts of rape, 11 counts of gross sexual imposition and five counts of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor.
“It’s been a case that’s drawn a lot of attention,” said Licking County Sheriff Randy Thorp. “But I just want to make sure everyone realizes that our focus is on the victims. That’s what matters to us.”
Keesee is the son of pastors Gary and Drenda Keesee, founders of Faith Life Church in New Albany.
Drenda Keesee is also a Knox County Commissioner, and part of her position is to oversee law enforcement budgets.
The Knox County Sheriff’s Office declined to lead the investigation due to Drenda’s role. Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost also cited friendships with Gary and Drenda Keesee, and also recused himself. The Licking County Sheriff’s Office took the lead in the investigation in February.
“When we were asked, we felt obligated,” Thorp said at a press conference on Monday afternoon. “The church is in our county, and we felt that justice wasn’t being served to these victims.”
According to Licking County Prosecutor Jenny Wells, three victims of the alleged sexual abuse have come forward, though investigators have interviewed around 40 witnesses across multiple states. The victims’ ages range at the time of the alleged offences, from approximately 6 to 15 years old, Wells said. One of the three victims experienced long-term abuse, from ages 8-15.
All three victims that came forward were members of the church at one point in time, and grew up in the church from a younger age. There is no evidence to suggest that any of the alleged offences happened within the church itself.
The alleged offences all occurred before 2011, with the abuse allegedly beginning as early as 2001, when Keesee Jr. was just 12 years old, Wells said. Keesee resigned from his leadership position at Faith Life Church in August 2024. He will be tried as an adult.
“These courageous young women have spoken out and come forward and they are to be commended for their bravery — and supported,” said Wells. “This case is far from over at this point, but as the Sheriff said, it was time for us to move forward with the information we had at this time and present the case.”
Keesee was arrested in his Johnstown home without incident on Friday, April 18, and was later charged with two counts of rape. Monday’s indictment added another 25 counts of sex-related criminal charges to the two existing.
The investigation into Keesee Jr. remains ongoing, and the Licking County Sheriff’s Office asks anyone with any information, or anyone who has been a victim, that they come forward and share information with law enforcement.
Keesee Jr. is currently considered a flight risk, according to Wells, and is on suicide watch, according to Licking County Sheriff Chief Deputy Chris Barbudo.
Despite the Licking County Sheriff’s Office leading the investigation, court proceedings will be held primarily in Knox County. Keesee will appear in court on Wednesday, April 23, at 1 p.m. in Knox County Common Pleas Court for his arraignment proceedings.
“The victims in this case unfortunately had to wait,” Thorp said. “It’s my understanding that we had victims that came forward as early as December [2024]. We received the case in February.”
The Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office are also investigating a second suspect in connection with sexual abuse allegations at Faith Life Church.
Owen Baker writes for TheReportingProject.org, the nonprofit news organization of Denison University’s Journalism program, which is supported by generous donations from readers. Sign up for The Reporting Project newsletter here.