Former Gateway Church pastor Robert Morris voluntarily surrendered to the Oklahoma Sheriff's Office on Monday after him. He was indicted Number of five felony charges of indecency or vulgarity against a child in Oklahoma. Morris, who founded Gateway Church in Southlake, Texas, near Dallas-Fort Worth, resigned as a senior pastor last June after Cindy Clemisher. Appeal He sexually abused her in the 1980s when she was 12 years old. USA TODAY.
“Nearly 43 years later, the law finally caught up with Robert Morris on a horrifying crime he committed against me as a child,” Clemisher said. statement to Oklahoman after the release of the indictment.
The Osage County Sheriff's Office said Morris filed himself on USA Today Monday morning, posting $50,000 in bonds. Arrested Later that afternoon.
In addition to Morris' resignation, Gateway Church attempted to leave him during an independent investigation into the church by Haynes and Boone, a Dallas-based law firm.
Furthermore, the church cut off ties Morris' son and daughter-in-lawJames and Bridget Morris. Executive Pastor Chemtal Glasgow; and Some That elder's.
“What happened to Cindy Clemisher was heartbreaking and mean,” Gateway Church elder Tla Wilbanks said during a live stream in November. “We condemn sexual abuse in all of that form and feel deep sadness for those who have been victimized by such sleazy behavior.”
Speaking to USA Today, Willbanks confirmed that Gateway is helping out with an ongoing investigation, And it made it clear that the investigation would not apply to the church. the Current leadership.
When the allegations broke, the church claimed that Morris knew he had an “extramarital relationship” with “young woman” but that he was not. know It involved “abuse of a 12-year-old girl.”
“We are heartbroken and appalled by what has been revealed over the past few days and express deep sympathy for the victim and her family,” the church said in a statement to several outlets at the time.
Related Articles: Gateway Church faces founder Robert Morris being charged with abuse
Photo credit: ©X/Amy Smith/Retrieved from Sheriff, Osage County
It was originally published on March 18, 2025.
