The founder of a prominent Texas megachurch is going to jail for six months after pleading guilty to multiple child sex abuse charges. Robert Preston Morris, who led the Texas-based Gateway Church until stepping down last year, pleaded guilty on Thursday to five counts of lewd and indecent acts with a child. The 64-year-old pastor's admission comes after a woman accused him of repeatedly abusing her in Oklahoma starting in 1982, when she was 12 and he was a traveling evangelist staying with her family, the AP reports. Prosecutors say the abuse continued for four years.
Morris appeared before a judge in Osage County, Oklahoma, as part of a plea deal. He was handed a 10-year suspended sentence, with the first six months to be spent in the Osage County Jail. He must register as a sex offender and will be subject to supervision by Texas authorities under an interstate compact. Morris is also on the hook for the costs of his incarceration, including medical expenses, and will have to pay restitution to the victim. Morris resigned from Gateway Church, one of the nation's largest megachurches, after the allegations surfaced.
"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 perpetrator was a pastor who exploited his position of trust and authority. The victim in this case has waited far too many years for this day."
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The woman Morris abused as a child said she hoped her story would encourage other abuse victims to "lift their shame" and speak out, KOCO reports. "Today 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," Cindy Clemishire said. "I hope that people understand the only way to stop child sexual abuse is to speak up when it happens or is suspected," she said, adding: "Today is a new beginning for me, my family and friends who have been by my side through this horrendous journey. I leave this courtroom today not as a victim, but a survivor."
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