Robert Morris, the disgraced founding pastor of Southlake-based megachurch Gateway Church, has been indicted on five counts of of lewd or indecent acts with a child stemming from incidents dating back to the 1980s, the Oklahoma Attorney General said in a press release Tuesday.
Morris, 63, resigned last June after admitting to “sexual inappropriate behavior” with a child.
His accuser, Cindy Clemishire, said Morris sexually abused her in 1982 when she was 12 years old when she resided in Oklahoma.
“There can be no tolerance for those who sexually prey on children,” said Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond. “This case is all the more despicable because the alleged perpetrator was a pastor who exploited his position. The victim in this case has waited far too many years for justice to be done.”
There is no statute of limitations in Morris' case because he was not a resident of Oklahoma at any time, Drummond said.
Gateway said in an email to KERA the church is aware of the indictments Morris is facing.
“We are aware of the actions being taken by the legal authorities in Oklahoma and are grateful for the work of the justice system in holding abusers accountable for their actions,” the statement read. “We continue to pray for Cindy Clemishire and her family, for the members and staff of Gateway Church, and for all of those impacted by this terrible situation.”
The scandal surrounding Morris was followed by turmoil at Gateway over the past year, both related and unrelated to the investigation.
After the church launched a four-month internal investigation into Clemishire’s claims, the law firm conducting the probe in October said it found multiple church leaders and staff knew about the abuse claims for years and failed to look into them further.
It’s unclear how many knew about the alleged abuse, but four church elders were removed from the church’s website in November.
The criminal investigation was opened after the law firm’s findings.
Clemishire said in a statement through her lawyer that she is grateful to the authorities who have worked to make the indictment happen.
“After almost 43 years, the law has finally caught up with Robert Morris for the horrific crimes he committed against me as a child,” Clemishire said, now 55. “Now, it is time for the legal system to hold him accountable. My family and I are deeply grateful to the authorities who have worked tirelessly to make this day possible and remain hopeful that justice will ultimately prevail.”
At least nine church leaders have left or been removed since June, including Morris’ son James Morris, who has since opened his own church with his wife.
Former executive pastor Kemtal Glasgow was fired in August after a “moral issue,” but the church didn’t provide further details.
Gateway was also named in an unrelated lawsuit in August in which a woman said she was groomed and sexually assaulted when she was 13 years old by an older member at youth group meetings.
Gateway in September filed a general denial of all claims but did not lay out its argument in court documents.
In November, church leaders said Gateway was making staff cuts following a 35-40% drop in church donations, or tithes, after a class-action lawsuit filed in October by church members claimed their donations were mishandled.
Morris in the past told church members 15%, or around $15 million of its $100 million annual church revenue, would go to global ministries. But a church member and public accountant for Gateway alleged only $3 million of annual revenue was given to global missions and ministries — and demanded the church issue refunds.
Morris’ attorneys made attempts in February to dismiss that lawsuit, claiming conspiracy to breach a contract is “not a viable claim under Texas law” and arguing the alleged conduct occurred outside the statute of limitations, according to court documents.
The church was also named in another lawsuit in 2020, in which at least five church staff members were accused of covering up allegations of sexual assault of a minor. The suit was settled in May but resurfaced after Morris’ resignation.
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