Robert Morris, the founding pastor of Gateway Church in Southlake, Texas, has been indicted on five counts of lewd or indecent acts with a child by an Oklahoma grand jury. The charges relate to alleged incidents from the 1980s involving Cindy Clemishire, who claims Morris began abusing her when she was 12 years old.
Robert Morris, the founding pastor of Gateway Church in Southlake, Texas, has been indicted on five counts of lewd or indecent acts with a child by an Oklahoma grand jury. The charges relate to alleged incidents from the 1980s involving Cindy Clemishire, who claims Morris began abusing her when she was 12 years old.
The indictment alleges that Morris, then a traveling evangelist, initiated inappropriate sexual conduct with Clemishire starting in December 1982, during a visit to her family in Hominy, Oklahoma. The alleged abuse continued over the next four years.
Clemishire expressed relief at the indictment, stating, “After almost 43 years, the law has finally caught up with Robert Morris for the horrific crimes he committed against me as a child.”
Morris, who founded Gateway Church in 2000, resigned from his position in June 2024 following these allegations. The church has since faced significant challenges, including the removal of four elders who were found to have been aware of Morris’s misconduct but failed to act.
The church is currently seeking new leadership amid declining membership and financial difficulties.
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond emphasized the gravity of the charges, highlighting the betrayal of trust by a pastor preying on children.
If convicted, Morris could face up to 20 years in prison for each count.
