Geoff Drew, the former priest who pleaded guilty to nine counts of raping an altar boy, was released from prison Monday, Aug. 17, and is now living at a Cincinnati halfway house under lifetime sex offender registration requirements enforced by the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office.

Drew, 64, left Noble Correctional Institution between 8:30 and 8:45 a.m. and registered his address as the Volunteers of America facility on West McMicken Avenue in Over-the-Rhine, according to WCPO. The facility currently houses 35 registered sex offenders.

For residents of Indian Hill, Madeira, Mariemont, Terrace Park and Sycamore Township, the release triggers a specific accountability structure: the Hamilton County Prosecutor's Sexual Offender Unit is responsible for approving all sex offender addresses in those communities and enforcing Ohio's 1,000-foot residency restriction from schools, preschools and day care centers, according to the Prosecutor's Office.

If Drew or any Tier 3 offender attempts to move within 1,000 feet of a school in those jurisdictions, the unit notifies the offender and requires relocation. Failure to comply results in a court order.

What the registration means in practice

Drew must report to the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office every 90 days for life. Each time he registers, deputies distribute postcards with his mug shot and criminal history to neighbors, nearby schools and childcare centers.

Before his release, Drew asked a judge to reclassify his sex offender status to a lower tier, which would have eliminated the notification requirement. Hamilton County Prosecutor Connie Pillich opposed the motion, and a judge rejected it, FOX19 reported.

"The safety of children and families must come first," Pillich said Aug. 17. "He may not be behind bars, but he will still be watched."

The case

Drew repeatedly raped an altar boy when the child was between 9 and 11 years old in the late 1980s and early 1990s, while Drew served as music director at St. Jude Parish in Bridgetown. He later became a priest and was pastor at St. Ignatius of Loyola in Green Township when he was arrested.

In December 2021, Judge Leslie Ghiz sentenced Drew to seven years under a plea deal but said she would have gladly imposed life. Drew served approximately five years after receiving credit for roughly 27 months in the county jail awaiting trial.

A second man accused Drew of repeated sexual abuse at St. Jude in the 1980s, but prosecutors could not file charges because the man was 45 when he reported it, two years past Ohio's criminal statute of limitations for childhood sexual abuse victims.

Retired Cincinnati police detective Dana Jones, who led the investigation, said in a WCPO I-Team podcast that she does not believe the community is safe.

"I don't think our community is safe with him out," Jones said. "They're going to be at risk. People will be at risk. Young men will be at risk."

Ongoing supervision

Drew is on post-release control for five years and will remain at the halfway house until he finds another approved residence. Any move requires prior approval through the adult parole office. His laicization was finalized in November 2023, barring him from presenting himself as a priest or volunteering at any parish, school or ministry under the Archdiocese of Cincinnati.

The Prosecutor's Sexual Offender Unit monitors approximately 1,600 registered sex offenders in Hamilton County.

How to check

Residents can search for registered sex offenders in their neighborhood through the Ohio Attorney General's Sex Offender Registry. The Hamilton County Sheriff's Office can be reached at 513-946-6400, and the District Three office covering Sycamore Township is at 513-683-3444.