**Robert Morris, Founding Pastor of Gateway Church, Pleads Guilty to Child Sexual Abuse Charges**
Robert Morris, founding pastor of Gateway Church—a Texas-based megachurch with one of the largest congregations in the country—pleaded guilty Thursday to charges of indecent conduct with a child. The charges stem from an investigation into allegations that he sexually abused a young girl in Oklahoma more than 40 years ago.
The plea was entered during a scheduled hearing in Osage County. Morris had previously entered a not guilty plea. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison, with all but six months suspended. Morris will serve his time in Osage County and then be placed on probation for nine and a half years in Texas. Additionally, he is required to register as a sex offender.
Morris entered the courthouse in Pawhuska, Oklahoma, flanked by his wife, his adult children, and several of their spouses.
Texas State Representative Jeff Leach, who authored the Texas House version of the new state law banning non-disclosure agreements in cases of child sexual abuse, arrived minutes before the hearing. “Roll the stone away,” Leach posted on social media. “Let the guilty pay. It’s Independence Day.”
Gateway Church declined to comment on Morris’ guilty plea.
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### Survivor and Attorney General Respond
In a statement, Cindy Clemishire, who was 12 when the abuse against her began, said she hopes her case will serve as an inspiration for others.
“Today justice has finally been served, and the man who manipulated, groomed, and abused me as a 12-year-old innocent girl is finally going to be behind bars,” Clemishire said. “My hope is that many victims hear my story, and it can help lift their shame and allow them to speak up. I hope that laws continue to change and new ones are written so children and victims’ rights are better protected. I hope that people understand the only way to stop child sexual abuse is to speak up when it happens or is suspected.”
In a news release, Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond said this day was long in coming.
“There can be no tolerance for those who sexually prey on children,” Drummond said. “This case is all the more despicable because the perpetrator was a pastor who exploited his position of trust and authority. The victim has waited far too many years for this day.”
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### The Case Against Robert Morris
According to the Oklahoma attorney general’s office, the abuse began in 1982. At the time, Morris was a traveling evangelist staying with Clemishire’s family in Hominy, Oklahoma. The abuse continued for four years, Clemishire has said.
Morris had acknowledged in a 2014 sermon that he was “sexually immoral” as a young man and later admitted to an inappropriate relationship with a young woman. Still, he never publicly revealed Clemishire’s age at the time.
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### Fallout from the Robert Morris Case
When the allegations surfaced in 2024, Southlake-based Gateway Church initially denied that Morris had engaged in sexual relations with a minor. Church elders later reversed course, and Morris resigned on June 18, 2024.
Clemishire later said she believed she was not the only victim.
“Though I am grateful that he is no longer a pastor at Gateway, I am disappointed that the Board of Elders allowed him to resign,” she wrote in a statement at the time. “He should have been terminated.”
The fallout has extended far beyond the criminal case.
Clemishire and her father filed a civil lawsuit against Morris, his wife Debbie, Gateway Church, and several current and former church leaders seeking $1 million in civil damages. The lawsuit alleges the defendants knew about Morris’ actions, concealed them, and profited from his “moral failures and rape of Plaintiff, Cindy Clemishire.”
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### Robert Morris Sues Gateway Church
Morris and Gateway Church are also entangled in a separate legal dispute over millions of dollars Morris claims he is owed from his retirement package.
In Sherman, a federal class-action lawsuit filed by former members accuses Gateway and Morris of failing to honor promises to give 15% of donations to global missions and misleading congregants with false assurances of refunds.
The church has also suffered financially in the wake of the scandal.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/robert-morris-gateway-church-sexual-abuse-case-oklahoma/