A grand jury in Oklahoma has indicted Robert Morris, the former senior pastor of Gateway Church in Texas, on five felony counts of lewd or indecent acts with a child. The charges stem from allegations that Morris sexually abused a girl beginning when she was 12 years old in the early 1980s.
The indictment was issued after a multicounty grand jury heard two days of testimony. The accuser, Cindy Clemishire, stated that Morris first abused her on Christmas Day in 1982 at her home in Hominy, Oklahoma, when he was 21. The abuse allegedly continued when she was 13 and 14. Morris, now 63, resigned from his position at Gateway Church in June 2024 after admitting to “inappropriate sexual behavior” in the 1980s.
Clemishire publicly identified herself last year, stating that she came forward to encourage other potential victims to tell their stories. She met Morris when she was 11 and he was 20 at a youth revival in Tulsa. Morris, who was a traveling evangelist at the time, frequently preached at her church in Hominy and often stayed at her family’s home. She described him as a trusted figure in their community.
Morris acknowledged the allegations after Clemishire spoke to the Wartburg Watch, a blog that reports on sexual abuse within religious institutions. In media statements in 2024, Morris admitted to engaging in “kissing and petting” with a young girl in a home where he was staying but denied intercourse. He stated that the behavior continued on several occasions until March 1987, when it was revealed, and he sought repentance.
Legal experts noted that Oklahoma’s statutes allow prosecution despite the passage of time because Morris did not reside in the state. The indictment, filed in Osage County District Court, alleges that he touched the girl inappropriately when she was 12 and continued to engage in lewd acts in subsequent years. Morris is expected to surrender to authorities next week.
Morris founded Gateway Church in 2000, growing it into a megachurch with multiple locations. He also served as a spiritual adviser to former President Donald Trump during the 2016 campaign and Trump’s first term. His television and radio programs once reached millions globally, though his online presence has since diminished.
