MOUNT VERNON — Testimony began Wednesday in the trial of Gary “Tom” Keesee Jr., the son of the founders of Faith Life Church, who faces more than 30 felony charges accusing him of sexually abusing four girls over a span of 14 years.
One of the women testified that the abuse happened at multiple locations in Knox and Licking counties when she was a child, according to courtroom reporting. Keesee, 38, is on trial in Knox County Common Pleas Court on 13 counts of rape, 14 counts of gross sexual imposition, and five counts of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor.
Keesee waived his right to a jury trial on Tuesday. The case is being heard as a bench trial before Judge Richard Wetzel. Special prosecutors from the Licking County Prosecutor’s office told the court Keesee sexually assaulted the four girls, who ranged in age from 6 to 15, between 2002 and 2016. Court records show Keesee himself was 12 when the abuse began.
The case has drawn wide attention because of the defendant’s family ties. Keesee’s parents, Gary and Drenda Keesee, founded Faith Life Church in New Albany. Drenda Keesee serves as a Knox County Commissioner, helping oversee the sheriff’s office budget.
The Licking County Sheriff’s office led the investigation into the allegations. Former Ohio Attorney General David Yost, who oversaw the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation before resigning earlier this year, has said he is friends with Keesee’s parents.
Keesee was a former youth pastor at Faith Life Church. The bench trial is expected to continue with additional testimony from the remaining accusers and investigators in the coming days.
