A Knox County judge on Friday, Nov. 6, convicted Gary “Tom” Keesee Jr., a former youth leader at Faith Life Church in New Albany, on all 27 felony charges against him in a child sexual abuse case, the Newark Advocate reported. Knox County Common Pleas Court Judge Richard Wetzel found Keesee, 38, guilty of 11 counts of rape of a child under age 13, 11 counts of gross sexual imposition and five counts of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, according to the Newark Advocate; Pique Media reported the same verdict Friday.
The rape counts carry a sentence of life in prison, the Newark Advocate reported. Keesee, who is the son of Faith Life Church founders Gary and Drenda Keesee, denied the allegations and did not testify in his own defense, according to the Advocate. He will be formally sentenced at a later date, which the court had not announced as of Friday.
The case involved four women who said Keesee sexually abused them when they were children. The Licking County Prosecutor’s Office, which served as special prosecutor, said Keesee assaulted four girls who ranged in age from 6 to 15 between 2002 and 2016, the Newark Advocate reported. Keesee was a youth leader and the church’s chief media officer before resigning in August 2024, according to the Advocate.
The first woman came forward in February 2025 and others followed in the weeks after, according to court records cited by the Newark Advocate. The Licking County Sheriff’s Office led the investigation, and a Knox County grand jury indicted Keesee in April 2025. He originally faced 32 charges, but five counts were dismissed after one accuser became too distraught to finish testifying, leaving the 27 counts decided Friday, the Advocate reported.
Keesee waived his right to a jury trial on Sept. 29, so the four-day trial was heard by Judge Wetzel alone, the Newark Advocate reported. Most of the victims testified during the trial in October, according to the Advocate. In closing arguments, prosecutors argued, as reported by the Newark Advocate, that Keesee was an opportunist who used his charisma and charm as a youth leader to his advantage; Licking County Prosecutor Jenny Wells told the judge that one witness’s testimony is sufficient to convict and that other witnesses corroborated the victims’ accounts, the Advocate reported.
Defense attorney Sam Shamansky argued, as reported by the Newark Advocate, that the women had coordinated a smear campaign against Keesee. The judge took the case under advisement after closing arguments on Oct. 6 and delivered the verdict in court on Nov. 6, with Gary and Drenda Keesee and Keesee’s wife, Alexis, in attendance, the Newark Advocate and Pique Media reported.
Wetzel continued Keesee’s bond and allowed him to remain free following the verdict, the Newark Advocate reported. Keesee has surrendered his passport as a condition of his bond; the Advocate’s earlier coverage put the bond at $1 million, with 10 percent posted.
What we know — and what we’re still waiting on: The verdict itself is confirmed — guilty on all 27 counts — as reported by both the Newark Advocate and Pique Media from Friday’s hearing. What is not yet known is the sentence: the rape convictions expose Keesee to life in prison, but Judge Wetzel will set the actual terms at a formal sentencing hearing that has not been scheduled publicly. NewsForce247 is not naming the victims, who were children at the time of the offenses.
The verdict closes a case that has drawn attention well beyond Knox County because of the church at its center. Faith Life Church, on Beech Road in New Albany, was founded by Keesee’s parents, and the allegations dated back more than two decades by the time the first accuser contacted investigators in 2025. The case was prosecuted by Licking County authorities acting as special prosecutors, a step taken in cases where local conflicts require an outside office.
Court cases involving the protection of children remain active across Central Ohio. In Columbus this week, a Texas man received 30 years in prison for exploiting an Ohio teenager he met online, and in Licking County a grand jury indicted an Etna couple on 11 child endangerment counts each.
What happens next is sentencing. Once Judge Wetzel sets the hearing date, prosecutors and the defense will argue for terms on the 27 convictions, and the four victims will have the opportunity to address the court. NewsForce247 will report the sentence when it is handed down.
Photo: Mark Spearman, CC BY 2.0