PAWHUSKA, Okla. — Robert Morris, the former pastor at a megachurch in Texas and former spiritual advisor to President Trump, pleaded guilty to charges in a child sex abuse scandal on Oct. 2.
He waived his preliminary hearing during his September appearance at the Osage County Courthouse.
WATCH: Former Gateway Pastor Robert Morris will serve 6 months of 10-year sentence
Morris faced five counts of lewd indecent acts with a child, stemming from the 1980s when he came to Hominy as a travel evangelist. He turned himself into Osage County Jail back on March 17 then bonded out.
Local News
Former Megachurch pastor turns self in to Osage County Jail
Morris' accuser, Cindy Clemishire, went public to NBC News in July 2024.
In her victim statement to the courtroom Oct. 2, Clemishire called Morris "a pedophile pretending to be a preacher" as a result of his sex abuse that documents say began Christmas Day 1982, when she was 12. The molestations reportedly went on in at least four other occasions over the next four years.
"I'm just happy it is over," Clemishire told reporters after exiting the courtroom. "I feel good about it. It's behind us."
- Previous coverage >>> Former Megachurch pastor turns self in to Osage County Jail
Gateway International Church's founder kept his eyes closed throughout both Clemishire's piece, and her sister Karen Black's spoken on the family's behalf.
Black called Morris "a wolf in sheep's clothing" for once having the trust of their father who helped fund Morris' work as a traveling preacher throughout course of the molestation.
"We're very thankful that today finally happened," Black told 2 News.
Speaking to the judge at a podium to plead guilty during the hearing, Morris read off each of his five charges, including details that he repeatedly drove a teenage Clemishire to a location off Red Eagle Road in Hominy to sexually assault her.
They would be the last words he uttered before leaving in Osage County sheriff's deputy custody.
Morris will spend only the next six months in the county jail save for a medical procedure in Grapevine, Texas in December, the logistics of which he's reportedly paying the state for.
"(This is) as part of a ten year suspended sentence, or probation, with terms such as his probation to be supervised by the State of Texas, $270,000 in restitution that he paid this afternoon, and registration as a sex offender as required by law," Morris' defense team spokesman Bill Mateja told reporters after the hearing.
Attorney General Gentner Drummond provided this statement in response to the sentencing:
"There can be no tolerance for those who sexually prey on children. 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."
The statute of limitations did not apply to Morris because he was not an Oklahoma resident during his crimes.
Stay in touch with us anytime, anywhere --
- 2 News Oklahoma on your schedule | Download on your TV, watch for free. How to watch on your streaming device
- Download our free app for Apple, Android and Kindle devices.
- Like us on Facebook
- Follow us on Instagram
- Watch LIVE 24/7 on YouTube
