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.
