OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The founder of a Texas megachurch who pleaded guilty to sexually abusing a child in the 1980s was released Tuesday after serving six
FILE - Texas megachurch founder Robert Morris is escorted out of the building after pleading guilty to lewd and indecent acts with a child at the Osage County Courthouse in Pawhuska, Okla., Oct. 2, 2025.
OKLAHOMA CITY — The founder of a Texas megachurch who pleaded guilty to sexually abusing a child in the 1980s was released Tuesday after serving six months in an Oklahoma jail. Robert Preston Morris, 64, was released just after midnight, said Osage County Sheriff’s Capt. Matt Clark. Morris pleaded guilty last year to five counts of lewd or indecent acts with a child as part of a plea agreement under which he received a 10-year suspended sentence with the first six months to be served in the Osage County Jail. The abuse began in 1982 when the victim was 12 and Morris was a traveling evangelist staying in Hominy, Oklahoma, with her family, according to Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond, whose office prosecuted the case. Morris was the senior pastor of Gateway Church in the Dallas-Fort Worth suburb of Southlake, where he led one of the nation’s largest megachurches until June 2024 when — faced with the victim’s allegations — he resigned. He was indicted last year by an Oklahoma grand jury. Morris must register as a sex offender and will be supervised by Texas authorities via interstate compact. He also was ordered to pay his costs of incarceration, including any medical expenses, and restitution to the victim. The victim, Cindy Clemishire, who is now in her 50s, did not immediately respond Tuesday to a request for comment, but said in a statement when Morris was sentenced that “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.” The Associated Press typically does not name people who say they have been sexually assaulted unless they come forward publicly, as Clemishire did. In a statement released Tuesday by one of Morris’ attorneys, Bill Mateja, Morris apologized to Clemishire and her family and praised them for coming forward. “What I did to Cindy decades ago was wrong. There is no other word for it, and there is no excuse for it. I am deeply sorry,” Morris said. “I have carried the weight of that wrong for a very long time, and I am grateful — genuinely grateful — that the Clemishires had the courage to bring this into the light. “Many years ago, I sought their forgiveness privately, and as Cindy’s father recently noted, he extended that grace to me — a grace I did not deserve and have never taken for granted.” Gateway Church was founded by Morris in 2000. He has been politically active and formerly served on President Donald Trump’s evangelical advisory board. The church hosted Trump on its Dallas campus in 2020 for a discussion on race relations and the economy.OKLAHOMA CITY — The founder of a Texas megachurch who pleaded guilty to sexually abusing a child in the 1980s was released Tuesday after serving six months in an Oklahoma jail. Robert Preston Morris, 64, was released just after midnight, said Osage County Sheriff’s Capt. Matt Clark. Morris pleaded guilty last year to five The Supreme Court is once again hearing arguments on whether President Donald Trump can deny citizenship to children born to parents who are in the United States illegally or temporarily. The Wednesday case stems from an executive order Trump signed on the first day of his second term ending what’s known as birthright citizenship, which COLUMBUS, Ohio — Jurors said they can’t reach a verdict in the trial of two fired FirstEnergy Corp. executives in a $60 million bribery scheme in Ohio. A jury in Akron said Friday it was at an impasse in the trial of former CEO Chuck Jones and former senior vice president Michael Dowling. They WASHINGTON — A judge has dismissed a lawsuit against Fox News, which was sued by a fired journalist who had accused the network of violating sick leave law and also targeting him for political views. Jason Donner lost the sick leave claim Monday, the last remaining issue in his lawsuit in federal court in NEW YORK — A retired New York City police sergeant whose company provided security to the city’s migrant shelters has been indicted on bribery charges in a corruption investigation linked to a New York City Council member and an aide to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul. Edouardo St. Fort was arrested in Massachusetts on WASHINGTON — U.S. consumer confidence inched higher in March despite soaring energy prices brought on by the war in Iran. The Conference Board said Tuesday that its consumer confidence index rose modestly to 91.8 in March from 91 in February. The board said that while rising costs due to tariffs and spiking oil prices WSECU Community Champion: Chrystal Ortega’s mission to feed Spokane Chrystal Ortega's tireless dedication recently earned her the WSECU Community Champions Award and a $1,000 grant to further the mission.When Shawn Tibbitts opened Tibbitts FernHill, he was just trying to survive. The small Tacoma restaurant has since earned culinary awards and praise.Wilcox Family Farms is continuing its cherished holiday tradition of giving back by donating nearly one million eggs to food banks across the South Sound region this season.Matthew Ballantyne has transformed that early awareness into action, embodying the organization's mission:"No Kid Sleeps On The Floor In Our Town."
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
FCS Football Recruiting Roundup: Texas Southern & McNeese Offer A Pair Of Texas HS StandoutsIn the FCS Football Central Recruiting Roundup, we catch up with recruits who received offers from multiple FCS programs.
Read more »
No. 2 Texas Longhorns Arms Dominate Oklahoma SeriesLonghorns sweep rival Oklahoma Sooners for third consecutive conference series win
Read more »
Convicted Child Rapist Pastor Robert Morris Released From an Oklahoma PrisonThe once prominent Southlake spiritual leader has spent nearly six months in jail for sexually abusing Cindy Clemishire in the 1980s.
Read more »
Gateway Church founder Robert Morris released from Oklahoma jailThe former Gateway pastor was sentenced to six months in an Oklahoma jail on child sex abuse charges in October.
Read more »
Texas megachurch pastor Robert Morris who pleaded guilty to child sex abuse freed from Oklahoma jailThe founder of a Texas megachurch who resigned after pleading guilty to sexually abusing an Oklahoma woman in the 1980s has been released from an Oklahoma jail. Osage County officials say 64-year-old Robert Preston Morris was released early Tuesday.
Read more »
Robert Morris provides statement after jail releaseFormer Gateway Church pastor Robert Morris released a lengthy statement Tuesday asking for forgiveness following his release from jail in Osage County,...
Read more »