BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) – Former Gateway Church founder and pastor Robert Preston Morris, 64, pleaded guilty to five counts of lewd and indecent acts with a child, admitting to sexually abusing a 12-year-old girl in Oklahoma during the 1980s.
According to Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond, the abuse began in 1982 when Morris, then a traveling evangelist, stayed with the victim’s family in Hominy, Oklahoma, and continued for four years.
Morris entered his plea in Osage County District Court as part of an agreement that gives him a 10-year suspended sentence, with the first six months served in county jail. He must also register as a sex offender and pay restitution to the victim.
The survivor, Cindy Clemishire, now 55, said, “Justice has finally been served… I hope my story empowers others to speak up.” Clemishire publicly identified herself last year when she accused Morris of abuse.
Morris, once one of the nation’s most influential megachurch pastors, led Gateway Church in Southlake, Texas, until his resignation in 2024 following the allegations. He also previously served on Donald Trump’s evangelical advisory board and hosted the former president at the church in 2020.
Morris’ attorney, Bill Mateja, said his client accepted responsibility “in the eyes of the law and God,” and apologized to Clemishire and her family.
Attorney General Drummond said the case reflects the “betrayal of trust by a pastor who preyed on a child,” adding that “the victim waited far too long for justice.”
