The former Texas Megachurch pastor, who resigned after a woman accused him of sexual abuse in the 1980s, was charged in Oklahoma on child sexual abuse, the state attorney general said Wednesday.
Robert Preston Morris, 63, is charged with five counts of indecent or unfair conduct with a child.
The alleged abuse began in 1982 when the victim, known as CC in the indictment, was 12 years old, and Morris was a travel evangelical staying in Hominy, Oklahoma, traveled with her family. The abuse is said to have lasted for four years.
Morris accuser Cindy Klemisher said in a statement that he was extremely grateful to the authorities who worked to make the accusation possible and wanted them to say “justice will ultimately win.”
“Nearly 43 years later, the law finally caught up with Robert Morris on the horrifying crime he committed against me as a child,” said Clemisher, now 55.
The Associated Press usually doesn't name people who say they've been sexually assaulted, but Kremisher said they want to include their name.
The phone number associated with Morris was disconnected or a message was not returned immediately. It was unclear if he had a lawyer.
“Tolerance is impossible for people who sexually prey on children,” Attorney General Gentner Drummond said in a statement. “This case is even more despicable as the alleged perpetrator was a pastor who exploited his position. The victim in this case had waited too many years and so many years for justice to be done.”
Based in the suburbs of Dallas in Southlake, Gateway Church was founded in 2000 by Morris.
It said in a statement Wednesday that its members were praying for Klemishah, saying, “All those affected by this horrifying situation.”
“We are aware of the actions being taken by Oklahoma legal authorities and are grateful for the work of the judicial system that will keep abusers accountable for their actions,” the statement said.
Morris resigned from church last year after it was revealed to the religious watchdog blog Wartburg Watch.
Clemisher told the Dallas Morning News last year that he met Morris in 1981 when he was a travel preacher and began sermoning at a family church in Oklahoma.
She said Morris, his wife and young son approached her family. She said he was staying at her home in 1982, when the abuse began.
The church has several locations in the area. It is one of the largest in the United States, according to the Attorney General's Office.
Morris was known It's politically active. The church hosted President Donald Trump on the Dala Campus in 2020. Discussions on race relations And the economy.
Morris could be held in prison for up to 20 years on each of the five charges, according to the Attorney General's Office. He was not in custody as of Wednesday.
