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Photo credit: New Albany Village Hall, by Sixflashphoto – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=64319175
A sexual abuse case connected to Faith Life Church in New Albany, OH has now been transferred to a third investigative agency after two previous agencies recused themselves due to conflicts of interest, local CBS affiliate WBNS reported yesterday.
On Christmas Eve, a report was filed with the Knox County Sheriff’s Office regarding allegations of sexual abuse involving a juvenile. The reported abuse allegedly took place at two locations within Knox County.
Faith Life Church, led by Gary and Drenda Keesee, has two campuses—one in Powell and another in New Albany. According to its website, the church has more than 3,000 members. In response to the allegations, the church issued a statement through its legal representatives acknowledging the serious nature of the claims and stating that the allegations involve a member of the church leaders’ family.
Initially, the Knox County Sheriff’s Office took on the case but later forwarded it to the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) due to a conflict of interest. BCI, overseen by Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, also determined it had a conflict and declined to investigate.
The conflict arose because the suspect’s mother is a Knox County commissioner who votes on the sheriff’s budget. Yost further explained that his personal connection to the family made it inappropriate for his office to lead the investigation.
“The suspect’s parents are friends and have been to my home for dinner,” Yost wrote in a statement on a change.org petition page that had been created to demand an independent investigation. He added that if BCI had accepted the case, the investigation’s credibility could have been questioned regardless of the outcome.
As a result, the Knox County Sheriff’s Office transferred the case to the Licking County Sheriff’s Office on February 7. Authorities are urging anyone with relevant information to come forward and contact Licking County Detective Captain Jay Cook at 740-670-5537 or Detective Lieutenant Gus Moore at 740-670-5564.
Faith Life Church stated that it is cooperating fully with law enforcement and seeking legal counsel.
“We want to express our deepest compassion for those who have come forward and for anyone who has experienced harm. 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. We ask for prayers for all those affected and for our church family as we navigate this challenging time. We remain steadfast in our mission to serve with faith, love, and compassion,” the church said in a statement.
Attempts by WBMS to reach Faith Life Church for further comment on Tuesday were unsuccessful.
At this time, no charges have been filed in the case. The investigation remains ongoing, and updates will be provided as new information emerges.
