Former Megachurch pastor in Texas, accused of sexual abuse for children, in Oklahoma

By Sean Murphy, Associated Press

Oklahoma City (AP) – a former pastor of a Texas Megachurch accused of sexual abuse of children was handed over to Oklahoma authorities.

Robert Preston Morris, 63, turned to Osage County officials, where he was Loaded last week With five accusations of Lewd or indecent documents with a child, Phil Bachach, a spokesman for the Oklahoma General Prosecutor’s Office, told Associated Press.

The judicial registrations show that a judge of Osage County has set a obligation of $ 50,000 and ordered Morris to surrender his passport.

Bacharach said Morris will make an initial appearance in front of a judge at 10 in the morning.

Lawyer Mack Martin refused to comment on the accusations, but said he had anticipated that he had entered a innocent plea on behalf of Morris.

morris resigned last year As a pastor of the Gateway church in Southlake suburb, after a woman accused him of sexually abusing her in the 1980s.

The victim, mentioned in the indictment as a CC, told the authorities that the abuse began when she was 12, and Morris was a traveling evangelist who was in Homination, Oklahoma, with her family, according to the Attorney General. She said the abuse continued for four years.

Cindy Clemmonire, Morris’s accuser, said in a statement that he is very grateful to the authorities who have worked to make the indictment possible and it is hope that “justice will eventually predominate.”

“After almost 43 years, the law eventually caught Robert Morris for the horrible crimes he committed against me as a child,” Clemishire said 55 years ago. “Now, it’s time for the legal system to hold him accountable.”

Usually, AP does not name people who say they were sexually assaulted, but Clemheire said they would like her name to be included.

Morris was known to be political active. The church hosted president Donald Trump on his Dallas campus of 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.

Originally published: March 17, 2025 to 7:26 AM PDT