LICKING COUNTY — The son of two Ohio megachurch leaders was arrested and charged with rape after a months-long sexual abuse investigation.
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Gary Thomas Keesee Jr., 36, was arrested at his home on Friday, our news partners at WBNS reported.
Keesee Jr. was charged with the two counts of rape.
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Court records obtained by WBNS showed that the victim who made the initial report said the abuse happened when they were 5 or 6 years old. They also reported it occurred on over 50 occasions.
Over the course of the investigation, two other victims reported Keesee Jr. had sexually abused them.
He’s currently being held in the Licking County Justice Center.
The case was passed on to the Licking County Sheriff’s Office to investigate after the Knox County Sheriff’s Office and the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation determined they each had a conflict of interest.
Keesee Jr. is the son of Gary and Drenda Keesee, leaders of Faith Life Church, which has campuses in New Albany and Powell and more than 3,000 members, WBNS reported.
In a statement sent to WBNS earlier this year, Asiatico Law, PLLC, a firm representing Faith Life Church, said the church was “aware of the serious allegations concerning past conduct involving a member of our church leaders’ family.”
The church also said it planned to cooperate fully with authorities and was seeking guidance for legal counsel.
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