Police urge those with information on sexual abuse at Faith Life Church to come forward
The Licking County Sheriff's Office in Ohio is urging anyone with information concerning allegations of sexual abuse against Gary Thomas "Tom" Keesee, son of Gary and Drenda Keesee, founders of Faith Life Church, to contact them. The request comes just days after they took over the investigation due to a conflict of interest involving other authorities.
“Licking County Sheriff’s Office encourage anyone who believes they have relevant information concerning this case to contact the Licking County Sheriff’s Office, even if you have had prior contact with other Law Enforcement concerning this matter,” the police said in a statement on Facebook Monday.
The sexual abuse allegations against Tom Keesee include one from his sister, Kirsten McKinney, and other former members of Faith Life Church, where he had served as chief media officer, according to LinkedIn until he resigned from the position last August.
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The multi-campus megachurch did not provide comment to The Christian Post last Thursday, but responded to the allegations against Tom Keesee through an attorney, Katie Tabor, following public comment from Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost in response to a change.org petition calling for an investigation into the abuse allegations that include alleged contact with minors.
A report of sexual abuse involving a juvenile was filed last Christmas Eve with the Knox County Sheriff’s Office, according to WBNS 10. It is alleged in the report that abuse took place at two locations within the county.
Tabor previously acknowledged that there had been "serious allegations concerning past conduct involving a member of our church leaders' family" in a statement to The Columbus Dispatch and expressed a willingness to be transparent and cooperative with authorities.
"We want to express our deepest compassion for those who have come forward and for anyone who has experienced harm,” she said. “We recognize the courage it takes to speak out. We encourage anyone impacted to seek appropriate support and to report concerns to the proper authorities."
In addition to her role as co-senior pastor at Faith Life Church, Drenda Keesee also serves as a Knox County Commissioner, a television host, and a political commentator on the channel "Drenda on Guard." She also co-founded Forward Financial Services.
It was found by the Ohio Attorney General's Bureau of Criminal Investigation that both his office as well as the Knox County Sheriff’s Office had a conflict of interest due to personal connections with Drenda Keesee so the case was transferred to the Licking County Sheriff’s Office.
The Knox County Sheriff’s Office made a request to transfer the case on Feb. 7, and the Licking County Sheriff’s Office confirmed on Feb. 10 that they had accepted the case.
The petition calling on Yost to investigate the claims against Tom Keesee emerged after McKinney publicly alleged that she was also sexually abused by her brother, lending support to the voices of at least 11 others making similar claims.
"Many are aware of allegations involving a family member. I was a victim, and when I learned of ongoing concerns for others' safety in combination with other's [sic] stories I already knew, I felt a responsibility to step forward,” McKinney wrote on Facebook.
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