CINCINNATI (OH)
WCPO - ABC 9 [Cincinnati OH]
August 17, 2026
By Paula Christian
Geoff Drew served 7 years for the repeated rape of an altar boy, as set by his plea deal
A former priest and confessed rapist was released from prison on Monday morning after completing his 7-year sentence, and authorities are warning the public that he is still very dangerous.
Geoff Drew was released from the Noble Correctional Institution, a medium-security prison for men in rural Noble County between 8:30 and 8:45 a.m., according to an Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction spokesperson.
Now Drew is set to live in a two-story halfway house in Over-the-Rhine, Volunteers of America, a re-entry program on W. McMicken Avenue that currently houses 35 registered sex offenders, according to the Ohio sex offender locator website.
“He mastered his craft,” said retired Cincinnati police detective Dana Jones, who led the case against Drew with Green Township police detective James Conforti. “His title of being a priest gave him the arrogance and the confidence to have his victims submit to him in a way that I haven’t seen before,” Jones said. “I don’t think our community is safe with him out. They’re going to be at risk. People will be at risk. Young men will be at risk.”
Jones spoke publicly for the first time about Drew for a new WCPO 9 I-Team podcast, What They Knew: The Father Geoff Drew Investigation. New episodes of the podcast will be released on Tuesday and Thursday mornings on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and YouTube.