John Jessup, a former Hancock County commissioner in Indiana, was sentenced on Thursday to six to fifteen years in prison after pleading guilty to attempted sexual assault of his daughter during her 21st birthday trip to Las Vegas in January 2023.
According to court documents, Jessup took his daughter Rachel Keesling to Harrah’s Las Vegas, where they drank and gambled. Prosecutors said Jessup encouraged her to continue drinking despite her feeling unwell and provided her with three Long Island iced teas. After taking her to a strip club, Keesling became so intoxicated that she had to be returned to the hotel in a wheelchair.
Keesling later woke up in their hotel room to find her father sexually assaulting her. Jessup stopped when she began to move. He was initially charged with sexual assault but entered a plea agreement with the Clark County District Attorney’s Office, reducing the charge to attempted sexual assault.
As part of the plea deal, Jessup must serve a minimum of six years in prison, register as a sex offender, and is barred from contacting his daughter or other family members for life.
“Since my biological father sexually assaulted me on January 26 last year, my life feels like it’s shattered,” Keesling said in court during her statement before sentencing. She said she publicly identified herself after Jessup was elected to the Hancock City Council despite the charges.
“I’m processing a lot right now in all aspects,” she said after the decision, adding that she has changed her last name and continues to deal with the psychological impact of the assault.
Jessup, 50, was still serving as county commissioner when the incident occurred and later ran for city council while the charges were pending. He has since resigned from his elected position. In court, he said, “I’m not the same man I was.”
“Fathers are supposed to protect their children. They’re not supposed to violate them when they are vulnerable,” said Deputy District Attorney Morgan Thomas.
