Robert Preston Morris, a 63-year-old former pastor of a Texas-based megachurch, has been indicted on charges of child sexual abuse in Oklahoma, as per the state attorney general’s office. Morris, who stepped down from his pastoral role following accusations of sexual abuse from a woman dating back to the 1980s, is now facing five counts of lewd or indecent acts with a minor.
The alleged abuse reportedly began in 1982 when the victim, referred to as C.C. in the indictment, was just 12 years old. Morris, who was a traveling evangelist at the time, was living with the victim’s family in Hominy, Oklahoma. The attorney general’s office has reported that the abuse continued for a span of four years.
The accuser, Cindy Clemishire, expressed her gratitude to the authorities for their efforts in securing the indictment. Clemishire, now 55, stated, “After almost 43 years, the law has finally caught up with Robert Morris for the horrific crimes he committed against me as a child. Now, it is time for the legal system to hold him accountable.”
While the Associated Press typically refrains from naming individuals who claim to have been sexually assaulted, Clemishire has requested that her name be included. Attempts to reach Morris for comment were unsuccessful, as phone numbers associated with him were either disconnected or messages were not immediately returned. It remains unclear whether he has legal representation.
Attorney General Gentner Drummond condemned the alleged actions, stating, “There can be no tolerance for those who sexually prey on children. This case is all the more despicable because the alleged perpetrator was a pastor who exploited his position. The victim in this case has waited far too many years for justice to be done.”
Morris founded the Gateway Church in the Dallas suburb of Southlake in 2000. The church, which has multiple locations and is among the largest in the United States, issued a statement expressing its prayers for Clemishire and all those affected by the situation. The church also acknowledged the actions being taken by legal authorities in Oklahoma and expressed gratitude for the justice system’s role in holding abusers accountable.
Morris resigned from the church last year following the emergence of the allegations on the religious watchdog blog, The Wartburg Watch. Clemishire had previously told The Dallas Morning News that she first met Morris in 1981 when he began preaching at her family’s church in Oklahoma. She claimed that the abuse began in 1982 when Morris was staying at her house.
Morris, who was known for his political activism and hosted President Donald Trump at his Dallas campus in 2020 for a discussion on race relations and the economy, could face up to 20 years in prison for each of the five charges. As of Wednesday, he was not in custody.