Accused Texas Megachurch Pastor to surrender under charges of sexual abuse of children

By Sean Murphy, Associated Press

Oklahoma City (AP) – a former pastor of a Texas Megachurch is expected to turn into Oklahoma authorities, under charges of sexual abuse of children.

Robert Preston Morris, 63, is expected to surrender to officials in Osage County, where he is Loaded last week With five accusations of Lewd or indecent documents with a child, his lawyer, Mack Martin, told the Associated Press.

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

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

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 alleged abuse began in 1982, when the victim, mentioned in the indictment as the CC, was 12 years old, and Morris was a traveler evangelist who was in Oklahoma, with her family, according to the Attorney General. The abuse would have 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