ALBANY (OH)
Cleveland.com [Cleveland, OH]
February 11, 2025
By Cliff Pinckard, cleveland.com
NEW ALBANY, Ohio — A megachurch located in a Columbus suburb is under investigation after a former faith leader was accused of sexual abuse, reports say.
Licking County Sheriff Randy Thorp said in a post on social media that his office is investigating the allegations connected to Faith Life Church in New Albany. The Columbus Dispatch reports the sheriff’s office took over the investigation after Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost recused himself because he is friends with leaders of the church.
The Knox County Sheriff’s Office is assisting in the investigation, reports say. No charges have been filed so far.
WCMH Channel 4 reports that records show the accusations of abuse could go back decades and that there possibly dozens of victims. The Christian Post reports one of the people accused is a family member of church leaders. The family member resigned in August as the church’s chief media officer, the Post reports.
A family member of head pastors Drenda and Gary Keesee says she was one of the victims of abuse, the Dispatch reports. WCMH reports that some of the victims might have been as young as 8 years old.
A lawyer for the church, Katie Tabor, tells the Knox Pages that the church is aware of “serious allegations concerning past conduct involving a member of our church leaders’ family.”
“In light of recent discussions and media coverage, Faith Life Church wants to clarify that there are no allegations against Pastors Gary and Drenda Keesee or any of our other pastors,” Tabor said in an email, according to the Pages. “While no formal charges have been filed, we take any allegations of misconduct seriously.
“Our leadership and pastors are fully committed to truth and transparency and are prepared to cooperate fully with law enforcement in any way necessary. We are seeking guidance from legal counsel to navigate this situation responsibly and in a manner that prioritizes truth and healing.”
The Dispatch reports Yost acknowledges he is friends with the Keesee family and that is why he decided to recuse his office from the investigation. Drenda Keesee also is a Knox County commissioner, taking over the vacant position in January.
One of the Keesee’s sons, Tim Keesee, who also is a pastor at the church, posted on Facebook that the church would work with law enforcement.
“Words do not describe how broken we are as a family,” Keesee writes. “All their stories must come out. As we have learned these things and heard the stories of these victims, we have been broken and will do what we can to help. Our silence was not due to lack of concern, care, or denial, but rather protocols that stymied our desire for transparency.”
A former member of the church tells WCMH that when members of the congregation brought up concerns about suspected abuse, church officials would intimidate them and make them feel as if bringing up the concerns was wrong.