Robert Morris has pleaded guilty to five felony counts of child sex abuse in an Oklahoma court and will receive a 10-year prison sentence. However, all but six months of the prison term will be suspended.
The plea comes more than a year after Cindy Clemishire came forward to allege that the former megachurch pastor had sexually abused her while Morris was a traveling evangelist in the early 1980s.
Clemishire was 12 years old at the time of the abuse. Morris was in his early 20s.
Shortly after Clemishire came forward in June 2024, Morris resigned in disgrace from his role as senior pastor of Gateway Church. Morris founded the Southlake, Texas, church in 2000.
Criminal charges were brought against Morris in March.
Morris had for years been open about the fact that he had engaged in “inappropriate sexual behavior with a young lady.” It was not until Clemishire came forward that it became publicly known that the “young lady” in question was actually a child.
Following an internal investigation after Morris’ resignation, Gateway released other leaders from their duties because they either knew about Morris’ abuse of Clemishire or knew enough that church elders felt they were morally culpable for not investigating further.
Due to attendance drops, Gateway has laid off several more employees and scaled back weekend services.
RELATED: 3 Former Gateway Church Elders Deny Wrongdoing, Seek Removal From Cindy Clemishire’s Lawsuit
After a year of tumult, the church installed Daniel Floyd as its new lead pastor in August.
