The founding father of a Texas megachurch who resigned final 12 months after a lady in Oklahoma accused the pastor of sexually abusing her within the Eighties pleaded responsible Thursday to 5 counts of lewd and indecent acts with a baby, authorities mentioned.
Robert Preston Morris, 64, entered the pleas earlier than a choose in Oklahoma’s Osage County as a part of a plea settlement, in response to the state legal professional normal’s workplace.
The abuse started in 1982 when the sufferer was 12 and Morris was a touring evangelist staying in Hominy, Oklahoma, together with her household, in response to the assertion by Oklahoma Legal professional Common Gentner Drummond.
The abuse continued over the subsequent 4 years, the assertion mentioned.
Morris was the senior pastor of Gateway Church within the Dallas-Fort Value suburb of Southlake, the place he led one of many nation’s largest megachurches till his resignation. He was indicted earlier this 12 months by an Oklahoma grand jury.
Underneath the plea settlement, Morris acquired a 10-year suspended sentence with the primary six months to be served within the Osage County Jail.
Morris was handcuffed and carrying a go well with as he was escorted out of courtroom on Thursday by two sheriff’s deputies.
The sufferer, Cindy Clemishire, who’s now 55, mentioned in an announcement that “justice has lastly been served, and the person who manipulated, groomed and abused me as a 12-year-old harmless woman is lastly going to be behind bars.”
The Related Press sometimes doesn’t title individuals who say they’ve been sexually assaulted until they arrive ahead publicly, as Clemishire has carried out.
“My hope is that many victims hear my story, and it could possibly assist carry their disgrace and permit them to talk up,” she mentioned.
“I hope that legal guidelines proceed to vary and new ones are written so youngsters and victims’ rights are higher protected. I hope that individuals perceive the one technique to cease baby sexual abuse is to talk up when it occurs or is suspected.”
Morris should register as a intercourse offender and will likely be supervised by Texas authorities through interstate compact. He additionally was ordered to pay his prices of incarceration, together with any medical bills, and restitution to the sufferer.
One among Morris’ attorneys, Invoice Mateja, mentioned Morris wished to simply accept duty for his conduct, and wished to deliver the authorized matter to an finish for the sake of him and his household and Clemishire and her household.
“Whereas he believes that he lengthy since accepted duty within the eyes of God and that Gateway Church was a manifestation of that acceptance, he readily accepted duty within the eyes of the regulation,” Mateja mentioned.
Mateja mentioned Morris wished to apologize to Clemishire and her household for his conduct and requested for forgiveness.
When requested concerning the allegations final 12 months by The Christian Submit, Morris mentioned in an announcement to the publication that when he was in his early 20s he was “concerned in inappropriate sexual habits with a younger girl in a house the place I used to be staying.”
He mentioned it was “kissing and petting, not intercourse, but it surely was mistaken.”
Gateway Church was based by Morris in 2000. He has been politically lively and previously served on President Donald Trump’s evangelical advisory board.
The church hosted Trump on its Dallas campus in 2020 for a dialogue on race relations and the economic system.
Gateway Church declined to remark Thursday.
The pleas had been entered earlier than Osage County District Particular Choose Cindy Pickerill.
“There may be no tolerance for many who sexually prey on youngsters,” Drummond mentioned. “This case is all of the extra despicable as a result of the perpetrator was a pastor who exploited his place of belief and authority. The sufferer on this case has waited far too a few years for at the present time.”
