Former megachurch pastor in Texas, charged in Oklahoma for charges of sexual abuse

Dallas (AP) – a former pastor of a Texas Megachurch who resigned after a The woman has accused him The sexual abuse in the 1980s was charged in Oklahoma under charges of sexual abuse on children, the General Prosecutor of the State said on Wednesday.

Robert Preston Morris, 63, has been accused of five accusations of careless or indecent acts with a child.

The alleged abuse began in 1982, when the victim was 12 years old, and Morris was a traveler evangelist who was sitting in Hminmy, Oklahoma, with her family, according to the Attorney General. The abuse would have continued for four years.

“There can be no tolerance for those who sexually prey to the children,” said Prosecutor General Gentner Drummond in a statement. “This case is even more contemptuous, because the alleged perpetrator was a pastor who exploited his position. The victim in this case waited for too many years for justice to be done. “

The phone numbers associated with Morris were either disconnected or the messages were not returned immediately on Wednesday. It was not clear if he had a lawyer.

The Gateway Church, based in Southlake’s suburb of Dallas, was founded by Morris in 2000. On Wednesday, his members pray for Morris’s accuser and “everyone affected by this terrible situation.”

“We are aware of the actions taken by the legal authorities in Oklahoma and we are grateful for the activity of the justice system in liability of the abusers for their actions,” the statement said.

Morris resigned last year from the church, after the accusations appeared on the religious blog The Wartburg Watch.

The victim of the child, who is now adult, told The Dallas Morning News last year that he met Morris in 1981, when he was a traveler preacher and began to preach at his family church in Oklahoma. She said that Morris and her wife and young son became close to her family. She said she stayed at her house in 1982, when abuse began.

Associated Press usually does not name people who say they have been sexually assaulted.

The church has several locations in the area. It is among the largest in the United States, according to the Attorney General.

Morris was known to be political active. The church hosted President Donald Trump on his Dallas campus in 2020 for a Discussions about race relationships and the economy.

Morris could face up to 20 years in prison for each of the five accusations, according to the Attorney General.