Former Ohio church employee indicted on 27 sex crimes charges

Gary Thomas Keesee Jr., a former employee at Faith Life Church in New Albany, Ohio, was indicted on 27 sex crimes charges on Monday. The charges against Keesee Jr. include 11 counts of rape and five counts of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, according to a statement by the Licking County Sheriff’s Office.

The three alleged victims are ages 6 to 15, local station WSYX reported. The reports of abuse date back to when Keesee Jr., who is 36, was a teenager. Investigators interviewed about 40 people while pursuing the case.

Keesee Jr. is scheduled to be arraigned on Wednesday and is currently incarcerated in the Licking County Justice Center, the sheriff’s office said. His lawyer told USA Today that his client planned to plead not guilty to all charges. The lawyer characterized the charges as false and unsupportable. Keesee Jr. is legally innocent until proven guilty in court.

How are the alleged crimes connected to the church? Keesee Jr. is the son of the church’s senior pastors and previously worked at the church. All of his alleged victims were church members who knew each other. However, there is no evidence that the abuse occurred on church grounds, according to local news reports citing investigators. The church also told local news through an attorney that it was not involved. One other suspect is being investigated. The investigation began in February and was  ongoing, the sheriff’s office said.