MOUNT VERNON, Ohio (WCMH) – Less than one week after being arrested, the son of New Albany church leaders facing over two dozen sexual assault charges, made his first court appearance.
36-year-old Gary “Tom” Keesee Jr., the son of Faith Life Church senior pastors Gary and Drenda Keesee, had his arraignment hearing in Knox County on Wednesday afternoon. He has entered a not guilty plea on all 27 charges he is facing.
Judge Richard Wetzel set his bond amount at $2 million after the state requested a $5 million bond. As part of his bond conditions, Keesee Jr. was ordered to surrender his driver's license and passport to Licking County, make a $5,000 cash for his GPS ankle monitor, and that he make no contact with the victims.
Pedestrian critical after struck by tractor trailer in ObetzKeesee Jr., a former member of the church staff, was arrested on Friday 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.
A grand jury on Monday presented additional evidence to prosecuting attorneys to increase his charges. He now faces 11 counts of rape, 11 counts of gross sexual imposition, and five counts of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor. The counts' date range spans from 2002 to 2011 with a Licking County prosecutor saying the ages of the victims range from 6 to 15 at the time of the alleged offenses.
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.
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