Robert Preston Morris, the 64-year-old founder and former senior pastor of Gateway Church in Texas, pleaded guilty Thursday in Osage County, Oklahoma, to five counts of lewd and indecent acts with a child. The charges stem from repeated sexual abuse that began in 1982, when the victim was 12 years old and Morris was a traveling evangelist staying with her family in Hominy, Oklahoma. According to Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond, the abuse continued for four years. Morris, who resigned from Gateway Church last year after the allegations surfaced, entered the pleas as part of a deal that includes a 10-year suspended sentence, with the first six months to be served in the Osage County Jail. He was handcuffed and escorted from court by deputies following the hearing.
The victim, Cindy Clemishire, now 55, publicly identified herself and expressed relief that Morris had finally been held accountable. In her statement, she said justice had been served against the man who “manipulated, groomed, and abused” her as a child. She also urged other victims to speak out, saying she hopes her case encourages changes in laws to better protect children. As part of the plea agreement, Morris must register as a sex offender, pay restitution, and cover the costs of his incarceration. His attorney, Bill Mateja, said Morris sought to take responsibility both in the eyes of the law and for the sake of closure for all involved, while also offering an apology to Clemishire and her family.
Morris, who founded Gateway Church in 2000 and built it into one of the nation’s largest megachurches, had previously acknowledged “inappropriate sexual behavior” with a minor when he was in his early 20s but downplayed it as “kissing and petting.” His church, once a hub of political influence that hosted former President Donald Trump in 2020 and where Morris served on Trump’s evangelical advisory board, declined to comment on Thursday. Attorney General Drummond condemned Morris’ actions, calling them an abuse of trust and authority, and said the victim had waited “far too many years for this day.”
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