The trial of Gary Thomas “Tom” Keesee, a son of Gary and Drenda Keesee, founders and senior pastors of Faith Life Church in Ohio, for the alleged sexual abuse of multiple minors that reportedly began when he was also a minor, continues to be delayed.
Keesee was scheduled to go on trial last November after it was pushed back from an initial July start date. The case was delayed again in November after his attorney raised concerns about the evidence. His trial was set to start on May 19, but it has been delayed again due to concerns raised by his attorney about the evidence, according to ABC 6.
Keesee pleaded not guilty in June 2025 to 32 counts of alleged sexual abuse of multiple minors, including additional charges of rape and gross sexual imposition of a child younger than 13. It followed his indictment by a grand jury in April 2025 on 27 counts of sex crimes, including 11 counts of first-degree rape, 11 counts of gross sexual imposition, and five counts of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor.
The incidents allegedly occurred when Keese himself was 12- to 14-years-old.
Licking County Sheriff Randy Thorp told ABC 6 that the case has drawn significant attention, but he wanted to focus on the plaintiffs who reported the alleged abuse.
“It’s a case that brought a lot of attention. I want to make sure everyone knows the focus is on the victims,” Thorp told ABC 6. “Some had to wait. Came forward as early as December.”
Keesee’s lawyer, Sam Shamansky, asked the court to lower his client’s bond, and it was lowered to $1 million. The trial was postponed until Dec. 29, when oral arguments would be heard.
Keesee, 37, who served as chief media officer at Faith Life Church, according to LinkedIn, before resigning in August 2024, posted bond.
A copy of the initial indictment against Keesee alleges he raped three females between May 2002 and November 2006.
Licking County Prosecutor Jenny Wells revealed at a press conference that investigators interviewed 40 witnesses and three alleged victims came forward.
Wells stated that all the victims were members of Faith Life Church at some point, and they were 6- to 15-year-old when the alleged abuses took place. One victim alleges in a criminal complaint that Keesee sexually assaulted her when she was 5 and 6 years old, starting in May 2001 and ending in May 2003. Another victim accused him of touching her private areas “repeatedly,” starting in November 2006, when she was 8 years old, until she was 15.
“These courageous young women have spoken out and come forward, and they are to be commended for their bravery and supported,” said Wells at the most recent hearing.
Although Keesee left his position at the church in 2024, his parents remain the lead pastors. Drenda Keesee is a Knox County commissioner.
Prior to the indictment, Keesee’s father, Pastor Gary Keesee, insisted in February that there is “another side” to the story.
“All hell is breaking loose out there … but truth will prevail,” Gary Keesee said during one of three services at the church’s New Albany site in February, according to a Knox Pages report. “There’s another side. And the truth will come out.”
Keesee’s mother, Dendra Keesee, who remains an elected Knox County commissioner despite calls for her to step down, asked God to forgive “those who hurt us” as she denied the allegations against her son in February 2025.
“Those who know us know what they say are not true,” she said.
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