A former mayor of Hubbard, Ohio, who had boasted of a “dedicated life to Christ”, admitted to his wife, pastor, and others that he raped and molested a child for multiple years beginning when she was 4 years old, an Ohio prosecutor said in a legal filing.
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He was indicted in August and charged with eight counts of gross sexual imposition, eight counts of rape, and four counts of attempted rape, according to WKBN.
Keenan pleaded not guilty at an arraignment in August, but prosecutors say that he has admitted to repeatedly raping the victim, who was 4 when the abuse began in 2013, according to Raw Story. He later checked himself into a psychiatric facility claiming suicidal thoughts over his actions and during his stay on the ValleyCare Trumbull Memorial Hospital psychiatric ward he admitted to the molesting and rape of the little girl during group discussions.
Keenan’s brief term as mayor of Hubbard ended two years before the alleged assaults began.
Prosecutors said Keenan confessed to the sex abuse to his wife, a pastor, a social worker and his brother- and sister-in-law.
A former OH mayor, Richard Keenan, has allegedly confessed to sexually assaulting a child, prosecutors in the case said.
He also told the worker the girl ‘had come onto him and the child was a willing participant in the sex acts, ‘ court papers say.
Under local state law, a wife can testify against her spouse if he or she decides.
Keenan was sworn in as mayor in January 2010 and served until 2011.
Keenan, who is scheduled to stand trial in April, remains free on $75,000 bond.
“I’m a Christian. Dedicating my life to Jesus has changed my life.”
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“Don’t preach it, but live it”, he told the paper. Keenan previously worked as a Hubbard city councilman and as a probation officer. The charges against him carry a life sentence.
