Former Gateway Pastor Robert Morris Indicted For Lewd Acts With Minor

Last year, Robert Morris resigned in disgrace from leading Gateway Church, America’s largest megachurch at the time. This was after he confessed to being a child molester when his victim, Cindy Clemishire, came forward. Now, Robert Morris is facing charges for his actions.

According to the Oklahoma Attorney General’s office.

The Multi-County Grand Jury today indicted the founder of a Texas megachurch on five counts of lewd or indecent acts with a child stemming from incidents that date back to the 1980s.

Robert Preston Morris, 63, resigned last summer as senior pastor of Gateway Church. The Southlake, Texas-based megachurch is among the largest in the United States.

In December 1982, Morris was a traveling evangelist visiting in Hominy with the family of the alleged victim, who was 12 at the time. The indictment alleges Morris’ sexual misconduct began that Christmas and continued over the next four years.

In all, Morris faces five counts of lewd or indecent acts to a child.

“There can be no tolerance for those who sexually prey on children,” said Attorney General Gentner Drummond. “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.”

The statute of limitations is not applicable in this case because Morris was not a resident or inhabitant of Oklahoma at any time.

In Oklahoma, the statute of limitations for sexual crimes against children is when the victim turns 45. Cindy Clemishire, born in 1970, turned 45 in 2015. However, Robert Morris was a traveling preacher staying at her parent’s house because he was not a resident in Oklahoma. Therefore, the statute of limitations does not apply, and he’s treated like an old-time outlaw.

The victim’s allegations, supported by Morris’s own admissions, provided probable cause for the grand jury to issue the indictment. Morris faces up to 10 years per count, totaling a potential 50 years if convicted on all five counts consecutively (though sentencing could vary). He is expected to turn himself in to Osage County next week.

Attorney General Gentner Drummond threw Clemishire under the bus for delaying justice by refusing to come forward.