Richard Keenan, the former mayor of Hubbard, Ohio, is serving a life sentence at Noble Correctional Institution after pleading guilty in March 2017 to 20 felony counts of child sex crimes, including eight counts of rape. The victim was a girl he began abusing on her fourth birthday. Under the plea agreement, Keenan became eligible for parole after ten years; his first parole board hearing is scheduled for February 2027.1Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction. Offender Search – Richard Keenan (A694707)
Who Keenan Was in Hubbard
Keenan was sworn in as mayor of Hubbard, a small city in Trumbull County in northeastern Ohio, in January 2010. At his swearing-in he publicly identified as a Christian, saying he had “dedicated his life to Jesus” and followed the mantra “Don’t preach it, but live it.”2Patch. Former Hubbard Mayor Charged With Rape Claims Child Was Willing Participant In February 2011 he announced he would not seek re-election, citing personal reasons and a desire to spend time with family and do volunteer work with Teen Challenge.3Vindy Archives. Mayor Cites Personal Reasons for Not Seeking Re-Election He left office at the end of that year.
The Abuse and How It Surfaced
Court records state that Keenan sexually abused a girl known to him beginning on September 12, 2013, her fourth birthday, and continuing through June 21, 2016.4Tribune Chronicle. Ex-Hubbard Mayor Indicted in Sexual Assault of a Girl The abuse started roughly two years after he left the mayor’s office.5WKBN. Former Hubbard Mayor Sentenced to Prison for Raping Child
It came to light when the girl disclosed what had happened to Keenan’s wife, Diana Keenan. Confronted, Keenan admitted to his wife that “he did it.” He then confessed to his brother and sister-in-law in a phone call, telling them he had “gone way way too far and way over the line.”6Tribune Chronicle. Filing: Former Hubbard Mayor Richard Keenan Admitted Sex Acts He also admitted the abuse to a pastor and to a social worker while in the psychiatric ward at Trumbull Memorial Hospital.2Patch. Former Hubbard Mayor Charged With Rape Claims Child Was Willing Participant On June 22, 2016, the Hubbard Police Department received a call about a sex crime involving a minor at Keenan’s Moore Street residence, and the resulting police report named him as the suspect.4Tribune Chronicle. Ex-Hubbard Mayor Indicted in Sexual Assault of a Girl
What Keenan Said About the Victim
In statements to family members, to a social worker, and to court officials, Keenan reportedly claimed the four-year-old had been a “willing participant” who “initiated the sex acts.”2Patch. Former Hubbard Mayor Charged With Rape Claims Child Was Willing Participant He also reportedly told his wife and others that the abuse was “her fault.”7Belfast Telegraph. Former Ohio Mayor Richard Keenan Admits Raping Four-Year-Old Girl, Claims It Was Her Fault At sentencing, the victim’s mother said Keenan had “manipulated the family” to gain access to the child.5WKBN. Former Hubbard Mayor Sentenced to Prison for Raping Child
Charges and Guilty Plea
A special grand jury indicted Keenan on 20 felony counts: eight counts of rape, four counts of attempted rape, and eight counts of gross sexual imposition. The indictment was unsealed on August 18, 2016. Because the victim was under ten years old, the attempted rape charges carried life-sentence specifications. Keenan initially pleaded not guilty and was released on $75,000 bond with the condition that he have no contact with any minor, including his own grandchildren.4Tribune Chronicle. Ex-Hubbard Mayor Indicted in Sexual Assault of a Girl
On March 17, 2017, Keenan changed his plea to guilty on all 20 counts before Trumbull County Common Pleas Judge Peter J. Kontos.8Tribune Chronicle. Ex-Hubbard Mayor Pleads Guilty to Child Sex Charges The plea agreement set a sentence of life in prison with parole eligibility after ten years and spared the child from testifying. Assistant Prosecutor Gabriel Wildman said the deal gave the victim closure.9Vindy Archives. Ex-Hubbard Mayor Pleads Guilty to Rape Keenan was also classified as a Tier III sex offender, requiring lifetime registration with the county sheriff every 90 days.
Sentencing
Judge Kontos imposed the agreed life sentence on April 24, 2017. Prosecutor Wildman read a statement from the victim’s mother: “Mental illness did not cause this, past drug use did not cause this, your own health problems did not cause this. You did this and it was a choice you made which took the innocence of a little girl.” She added: “You hid behind your religion and you pretended to be the town hero, but I hope you realize that everything good you might have done in the past matters not to the disgusting things you did to that innocent little girl.”10Tribune Chronicle. Ex-Mayor Gets Life Sentence
The judge called Keenan’s actions “despicably inhuman” and noted that supporters’ letters on his behalf had been written before the guilty plea: “In sentencing, I don’t look at the other things that you have done, I look at the thing that you have been charged with.” Defense attorney J. Gerald Ingram cited Keenan’s “ill health, battling prostate cancer” and his “long history of public service.” Keenan told the court: “I apologize to everybody whom I have hurt and pray that they would have peace.”10Tribune Chronicle. Ex-Mayor Gets Life Sentence
Where Keenan Is Now and the 2027 Parole Hearing
Keenan entered the Ohio prison system on May 5, 2017, with 47 days of jail-time credit, and is held at Noble Correctional Institution in southeastern Ohio. His parole eligibility date is March 16, 2027, and the first parole board hearing is set for February 2027.1Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction. Offender Search – Richard Keenan (A694707) At sentencing, Wildman said his office had a history of opposing parole for sex offenders and expected to do so in this case: “I am sure we will do so in this case.”10Tribune Chronicle. Ex-Mayor Gets Life Sentence Available records do not show an appeal filed, and as of early 2026 no public information about formal parole opposition has surfaced.