By LeoNardo Blair, Senior Reporter
Gary Thomas “Tom” Keesee, a son of Gary and Drenda Keesee, founders and senior pastors of Faith Life Church, a family-skedaddle, multi-campus megachurch in Ohio, is facing allegations of sexual abuse, including one from his sister, Kirsten McKinney.
Along with to being a son of the Faith Life Church founders, Tom Keesee is also the aged chief media officer on the church, in accordance to LinkedIn. He resigned from the sphere supreme August.
When asked regarding the allegations cited in a exchange.org petition with bigger than 2,500 signatures calling for Ohio Licensed loyal Favorite Dave Yost to evaluate Tom Kessee, a representative on the church instructed The Christian Post supreme Thursday they’d no pronounce.
Nonetheless, the church’s attorney, Katie Tabor, acknowledged “severe allegations bearing on past habits bright a member of our church leaders’ family” in a assertion to The Columbus Dispatch and expressed a willingness to be clear and cooperative with authorities.
“We desire to particular our deepest compassion in case you comprise arrive ahead and for anyone who has experienced harm. We acknowledge the courage it takes to talk out. We support anyone impacted to glance acceptable improve and to document issues to the suitable authorities,” Tabor stated. “We query for prayers for all those affected and for our church family as we navigate this strong time. We remain steadfast in our mission to relief with faith, enjoy, and compassion.”
In an earlier take care of to the church, clips of that come in on YouTube, Pastor Gary Keesee stated that Faith Life Church is a “family church” and does not condone abuse.
“I’m not aware about anyone currently on this workers that has been accused of being appealing with any form of this exercise. Please extinguish obvious you know that. Please know that Drenda and I, our pastoral crew has not been accused of anything else. Our goal is to realize the work that God has assigned us to total, and in that route of, law enforcement will take care of anyone that would possibly per chance well well presumably be responsible of such exercise, and the innocent will be exonerated,” he stated.
“If you happen to know of a case of abuse, please contact the authorities, or in case you would admire pastoral care, please feel free to succeed in our pastoral crew. We’re the the same church that now we comprise continuously been, and we comprise continuously been right here for you, and we are able to continuously be right here for you.”
The Ohio Licensed loyal Favorite’s Roar of commercial instructed CP that an investigation into the allegations in opposition to Tom Keesee was as soon as being handled by the Knox County Sheriff’s Roar of commercial, which didn’t answer to a question for pronounce.
Licking County Sheriff’s Lt. Gus Moore instructed The Columbus Dispatch that the case had been transferred to them and they also would be investigating.
Along with to her position as co-senior pastor at Faith Life Church, Drenda Keesee also serves as a Knox County Commissioner, a tv host and a political commentator on the channel “Drenda on Guard.” She also co-essentially based Forward Monetary Services.
Calls to the Knox County Commissioners’ office went unanswered supreme Thursday.
Yost’s office explained that in spite of allegations that his office was as soon as intentionally blocking the investigation of Tom Keesee attributable to his friendship with Drenda Keesee, truly that there’s a staunch battle of hobby.
The Ohio Licensed loyal Favorite’s Bureau of Prison Investigation (BCI) serves as Ohio’s crime lab and criminal recordsdata keeper and provides investigative products and companies to local, notify, and federal law enforcement agencies, in accordance to the company’s net field.
To habits an investigation, local law enforcement or prosecutor’s office have to query an investigation. Sooner than the BCI can hump ahead with any investigation, any most likely conflicts of hobby have to be evaluated.
A battle of hobby evaluation confirmed that the BCI had a battle of hobby in the case thanks to Yost’s friendship with Drenda Keesee. The Knox County Sheriff’s Roar of commercial was as soon as reportedly also looking out a third-birthday party company to habits the investigation into Tom Keesee attributable to a battle of hobby.
“I’ve spent my lifestyles combating for the survivors of sexual abuse, every as a prosecutor and as attorney frequent. If my office had accredited this investigation, one of two issues would comprise happened: a label, or a name to not label for a lack of evidence,” Yost stated in a assertion to CP.
“Both diagram, the credibility of the investigation would were known as into query — both by my critics who would claim my friendship refrained from a thorough investigation, or by defense counsel at trial, who would strive to issue that I’m overreacting and focused on his client to shroud my integrity for political applications,” he persisted.
“The victims in the matter deserve better than that. An unbiased third birthday party have to fabricate this investigation. By declining to fabricate an investigation wherein I truly comprise interior most battle, I’m honoring the victims, the route of, the general public at big and the clarification for justice.”
The petition calling on Yost to evaluate the claims emerged after McKinney publicly printed that she was as soon as also a sufferer of her brother, lending improve to the voices already calling for him to be investigated.
“Many are aware about allegations bright a family member. I was as soon as a sufferer, and after I realized of ongoing issues for others’ safety in combination with diversified’s experiences I already knew, I felt a duty to step ahead. A non-public police investigation has been engaged on this case alongside diversified victims,” McKinney wrote on Fb.
Amongst the diversified alleged victims is Olivia Wooten, who publicly printed that she’s a survivor in preserving with McKinney’s disclosure.
“I’m a survivor of sexual abuse, and my account was as soon as one which was as soon as silenced and lined up by the very community that was as soon as purported to give protection to me. My worn fears tried to pause me when deciding to begin this case and It be taken a truly long time for me to net my notify, nonetheless I’m no longer scared to share my truth,” she wrote on Fb.
Olivia Wooten’s husband, Nathan Wooten, who’s a aged worker of Faith Life Church, also alleged in a assertion on Fb that Tom Keesee confessed to him bigger than a decade ago that he had sexually assaulted his spouse while she was as soon as a minor.
Contact: leoNardo.blair@christianpost.com Follow LeoNardo Blair on Twitter: @leoblair Follow LeoNardo Blair on Fb: LeoBlairChristianPost
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