In brief
Robert Preston Morris, 64, has entered a guilty plea in Oklahoma to five counts of lewd and indecent acts with a child, concluding a case of sexual abuse that began when the victim was just 12 years old and continued for four years. Morris received a 10-year suspended sentence, with the first six months in jail, and must register as a sex offender. The victim shared her hope that her story will empower others to speak up about abuse.
The founder of a Texas megachurch who resigned last year after a woman in Oklahoma accused him of sexually abusing her in the 1980s has pleaded guilty Thursday to five counts of lewd and indecent acts with a child, as stated by the authorities.
Robert Preston Morris, 64, entered the pleas before a judge in Oklahoma’s Osage County as part of a plea agreement. The alleged abuse began in 1982 when the victim was just 12 years old and continued for four years during Morris's time as a traveling evangelist.
Morris, the senior pastor of Gateway Church in Southlake, Texas, was indicted by an Oklahoma grand jury last year. Under the plea agreement, he was given a 10-year suspended sentence, with the first six months to be served in Osage County Jail.
The victim, Cindy Clemishire, now 55, stated, Justice has finally been served, and the man who manipulated, groomed and abused me as a 12-year-old innocent girl is finally going to be behind bars.” Clemishire’s public disclosure of her identity is often rare in sexual assault cases.
She expressed hopes that her story would encourage other victims to come forward and emphasized the importance of speaking up to prevent child sexual abuse. I hope that laws continue to change and new ones are written so children and victims’ rights are better protected, she added.
Morris will also have to register as a sex offender and will be supervised by Texas authorities under an interstate compact. He has been ordered to pay his costs of incarceration and restitution to the victim.
A statement from Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond condemned Morris’s actions, citing the abuse of his position of trust and authority as especially heinous. There can be no tolerance for those who sexually prey on children,” he said.
Gateway Church, founded by Morris in 2000, has been politically active, and Morris served on President Donald Trump’s evangelical advisory board.
