Former local megachurch official indicted with dozens of sexual assault charges; sister comes forward as victim
Content Warning: This article discusses alleged sexual assault and alleged rape of minors.
A former leader at Faith Life Church in New Albany, located at 2407 Beech Rd., was arrested last Friday, and on Monday’s hearing, he faced almost 30 charges, according to USA Today.
Gary “Tom” Keese, 36, the son of the pastor/founders at Faith Life and former chief media officer, was charged with 11 counts of rape, 11 counts of sexual imposition, and five counts of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor. Keesee worked at the church until last year, where he resigned from his position in August of 2024.
Licking County Prosecutor Jenny Wells said during a press conference on April 21 that investigators have spoken to 40 witnesses, and three victims have come forward, who were ages 6 to 15 years old at the time of the alleged abuse. They were members of the church, but Wells said the alleged incidents didn’t happen inside of the church.
Attorney General Dave Yost made the decision not to pursue this case, citing a “conflict of interest” because of his friendship with Gary and Drenda Keesee, Tom’s parents and founders of the church. Yost told Christian Post, “…the credibility of the investigation would have been called into question — either by my critics who would claim my friendship prevented a thorough investigation, or by defense counsel at trial, who would try to claim that I am overreacting and targeting his client to prove my integrity for political purposes,” he said. “The victims in the situation deserve better than that. An independent third party must perform this investigation. By declining to perform an investigation in which I have personal conflict, I am honoring the victims, the process, the public at large and the cause of justice.”
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Then, the Knox County Sheriff’s Office also passed up the case, also citing conflicts of interest. Some of the alleged abuse happened in Knox County, where Drenda Keesee oversees law enforcement budgets as a Knox County Commissioner. As a result, The Licking County Sheriff’s Office is now leading the investigation, for Faith Life resides in Licking County.
“Our focus is on the victims, that’s what matters to us,” said Licking County Sheriff Randy Thorp during the news conference.
In February of this year, the church was already under investigation for allegations of sexual abuse. The Christian Post wrote that Keesee was accused of sexually abusing his sister, Kirsten, among others. Kirsten McKinney wrote on Facebook, “I have remained silent under legal counsel’s advice, but due to recent developments, I feel it is time to share my experience. Many are aware of allegations involving a family member. I was a victim, and when I learned of ongoing concerns for others’ safety in combination with other’s stories I already knew, I felt a responsibility to step forward. A private police investigation has been working on this case alongside other victims.” You can read the rest here.
Records show dozens of potential victims, with one victim stating she’s been assaulted more than 100 times by a church employee.
A former Faith Life employee, Nathan Wooten, posted on Facebook that he’s proud of his wife, Olivia Wooten, another alleged victim of Keesee’s, “for having the courage to not only come forward as a victim, but for also having the strength to file a police report against her abuser, Tom Keesee.” You can read his public alleged statement here.
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