Disgraced preacher Robert Morris surrendered to authorities in Osage County, Oklahoma, this morning, after being indicted last week on child sex charges, stemming from the 1980s.
The founder of Dallas-area Gateway Church walked into the Osage County Sheriff’s Office just before 8 a.m., according to a booking sheet obtained by The Roys Report (TRR). He was accompanied by his attorney, Oklahoma City criminal defense attorney, Mack Martin, and a bail bondsman.
Morris was taken into custody, handcuffed, and had his mugshot taken. He then had a “special arraignment,” a clerk in Judge Cindy Pickerell’s office told TRR. Sources close to the investigation said that during the arraignment, the judge would enter a plea of not guilty.
Morris, 63, was released on $50,000 bail bond. He is scheduled to appear at a preliminary hearing on May 9.
Phone calls left for his attorney were not returned.
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Last Thursday, Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond filed a five-page indictment against Morris, accusing him of sexual misconduct involving a 12-year-old Oklahoma girl, beginning on Christmas night, 1982.
That preteen, Cindy Clemishire, now an adult woman and grandmother, went public on June 14, 2024, about the alleged sexual assault. Days later, Morris stepped down from Gateway, one of the largest megachurches in the country.
After the indictment last week, Clemishire released a statement addressing Morris’ alleged abuse, which occurred between 1982 and 1987.
“After almost 43 years, the law has finally caught up with Robert Morris for the horrific crimes he committed against me as a child,” she said. “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.”
Morris’ case will be heard in Osage County District Court because the alleged multiple acts occurred in Hominy, Oklahoma, an Osage County community.
Previously, it was thought that criminal charges could not be brought because the statute of limitations had expired in this case.
However, Attorney General Gentner Drummond, also Clemishire’s attorney around 2005 when he was in private practice, stated: “The statute of limitations is not applicable in this case because Morris was not a resident or inhabitant of Oklahoma at any time.”
In a confession letter to his congregation before stepping down from a worldwide pulpit, Morris admitted that “in my early twenties, I was involved in inappropriate sexual behavior with a young lady in a home where I was staying.” Morris described the behavior as “petting and not intercourse” and said it happened “on several occasions over the next few years.”
Clemishire said in an earlier interview that she was “not a ‘young lady,'” as Gateway’s statement said. “I was a child. I was an innocent little girl.” She also said the abuse escalated from inappropriate touching to rape by instrumentation.
The Oklahoma woman described her wardrobe in 1982 when Morris allegedly assaulted her.
“I was wearing pink pajamas with bloomer pants over my underwear, and I had on a snap-up robe,” Clemishire said in an earlier interview with TRR.
The alleged sexual abuse continued until Clemishire was 17 years old and told her parents about the years of abuse.
On Saturday, Gateway executive pastor Nic Lesmeister addressed the congregation, saying, “I’m sure that stirred up a lot of emotion for you,” as CBS Texas reported.
“It stirred up a lot of emotion for us, and reliving our challenging history can be at times odd. We don’t know what to do with our emotions.”
Since Gateway is no longer affiliated with Morris nor in the investigation, the church is not providing further updates, the CBS news outlet reported.
*This article has been updated.
Booking sheet – Osage County Sheriff’s Office – Mar. 17, 2025
Sheila Stogsdill is a freelance print journalist and digital reporter, primarily covering crime issues for KSN/KODE.
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33 Responses
From now on, he should be referred to, not as former pastor, but by his new identity as Robert Morris, Inmate ID 1069501.
Pleading “not guilty”?! Yeah, that sounds like true repentance and owning your sin. Stellar example on display to the world, disproving his status as a “man of God”.
His new orange outfit in his new portrait is very becoming.
Lord willing, justice will prevail.
Such good news today!! Thank you, Julie and Sheila!!
I’ve heard that in certain cases a Not Guilty.Plea is automatically entered, no matter what. My guess is that this might well be what was done.
Say what you will, he is still one of best and deepest Bible Scholars ever. I respect the truth of matter but i would surely hate to bring down a ministry single handed
God may “forgive and forget” my sin and maybe some people still approve me, but my victims still need peace and justice.
On Sept 12, 2024 a 53 year old godly woman went public on YouTube about her sexual assault as a child by a prominent leader in The Living Stream Ministry Inc. https://youtu.be/yRDInWP81Ek
Six months later, having received absolutely no response from Living Stream Ministry, this same woman composed a song to her late abuser. https://youtu.be/QL0_xBwTVB4
Who will investigate this?
Plea of not guilty? Still not owning it.
I’m not claiming to be a legal expert (my familiarity with the law is probably limited to reruns of “Perry Mason” and “Matlock”), but I’m guessing the only time I think a defense attorney would counsel a client to plead guilty is if either the evidence is so overwhelming that there’s no chance of an acquittal or they’re holding out for a plea deal.
This saddens me for all involved – Cindy Clemishire’s loss of innocence and the lingering effects on her, her family, etc. and Robert Morris, his family and previous church family, etc.
This is not a time to rejoice but to recognize the real enemy, Satan, who comes to steal, kill, and destroy.
May God bring healing and restoration to all involved.
I am grateful for the truth but oh so sickened by church leadership and weep over the victims pain and suffering.
Now it time for Joni Lamb and family to come forward with their disgrace that they have hiding in Daystar. God is really doing great shaking up in the churches. All of you are doing great reporting.
In reading this story, I am sincerely saddened by what has occurred, and I am especially troubled due to what this trial will mean for the body of Christ and the reputation thereof. I notice that Mr. Morris has plead “not-guilty”, though he has publicly confessed to the deed. My guess is that his Lawyer think that there is in fact a loop hole on the statue of limitation issue that contradicts what the DA is intimating. I wish Ms Clemenshire justice and peace of mind in the process.
So, how can he enter a not guilty plea when he already publicly has admitted to the “inappropriate” behavior?
The guy is probably a slimeball, but many people do things in their early twenties and never again. Consigning this man to the equivalent of cyber hell is unwarranted. Several posters suggest that he cannot be repentant, because he pled not guilty, but we haven’t assessed just what he actually is guilty of– he denies any form of intercourse took place. But the real problem here is the unambiguous and quite frankly astounding conflicit of interest the OK AG has, since he literally used to be the alleged victim’s personal attorney, and in that capacity a full *20 years ago* he tried but failed to receive from Morris a financial settlement in this case, after which alleged victim kept her mout shut for those aforesaid 20 years, until *her attorney* got to be AG and make this happen. Morris’ lawyer will doubtless seek to have these indictments, if they remain, transferred to a special prosecutor, someone not Drummond or anyone else answering to him. And he should do exactly that, as if Morris is to be convicted, and especially if he is to be shipped off to hard time in the slammer, we must be able to trust in the impartiality and accuracy of said trial and conviction.
Hi Thomas. Lets be clear, “many people” don’t rape 12 year olds with instruments when they’re in their 20s.
And I completely understand how someone who was Cindy’s lawyer 20 years ago, and unable to secure a verdict against a pastor who was growing in prominence would be absolutely haunted by it watching Morris grow in wealth and stature over the last two decades, knowing the horrors he committed against a child when he was ALREADY A PASTOR. This was not a youthful indiscretion with a peer. This was ongoing child rape. for 5 years. FIVE YEARS.
Rape apology is a bad look, Thomas, there’s no benefit of the doubt here, he’s admitted to it. May Morris get the justice he’s stolen from Cindy for 43 years. He’s gotten to live a full life and had a nice career- he’s already received more grace than he deserves.
Mr. Roche—Wow! Just wow!! Seems like you MISSED the part that he HAS been “assessed” by many people, including law enforcement and a judge.
And let’s not forget Cindy, the victim, who clearly remembers all his many his crimes against her–as a CHILD! A MINOR!!! And for four long years!!!
Oh–and the investigators, who documented that those were FIVE separate crimes…and so filed the paperwork which led to the arrest warrant…which resulted in the arrest…and which a judge would have had to *agree with* before signing…which led to the arrest itself. And a Prosecutor, and/or someone else in that office, would also have had to *agree with* these being CRIMES.
What more are you wanting?!!
So you are a rape apologist Thomas P Roche. Good to know. Lots of 20 year olds do dumb stuff…like get a tattoo they will regret, wear an outfit that looks stupid, groom and rape a child. You know, usual dumb 20 year old things. THIS WAS A CRIME AGAINST A CHILD THAT WAS COMMITTED OVER YEARS. Thanks for letting the world know what kind of person you are.
Listen very carefully, dear ladies. I am not apologizing for rape. I am saying that this man asserts that he did not commit any rape, by instrumentation or otherwise, and has only fessed up to much much less serious acts. It is entirely, 100% the responsibility of the state of OK to prove beyond a reasonble doubt, in a trial where he must hold the presumption of innocence, that he did this. And such a trial cannot possibly be this way, a fair one, if the attorneys prosecuting him are the employees of the former personal attorney of the accuser. I know nothing of the facts of this case, or the personal character of the people involved (though it is in any case obviously true that people in their early 20s often do things that they would never do 40 years later). Sadly, out of their zeal to catch child sex abusers in the ministry, people who run websites like this one often ignore the reality of our constitional criminal justice procedures and their underlying situations, and assume a guilty till proven guilty mentality concerning any church or parachurch official accused of such behavior.
I have never met Robert Morris although I attended Gateway in North Richland Hills for about 1.5 years, 2019/2020. I HAVE met the Lord and KNOWN Him for more than 70 years and I must say: something about this case in awry. I have heard this man teach and preach under unusual anointing. The precious Holy Spirit does not anoint sin or sinner. I know the difference between charismatic, influencing personalities and humble, anointed people. It’s not that I don’t feel for this child/woman. I do ! I sincerely & tenderly feel for her. And, I completely understand the attitude of others. Normally, I would have the same reaction. I would not respond to this except I feel something is wrong. There’s a problem here. I hope others will pray for both of them. That’s what I’m doing.
Well said. Exactly how i see it.
I am always amazed at those who prefer to side with the alleged perpetrator rather than the victim. One person raised the fact that this occurred 43 years ago and assumed that Morris had repented. But here was a Pastor who engaged in both sexual and clergy abuse to a CHILD over a 4 to 5 year period. Where was ANY repentance during this entire period while he used his authority to threaten this child not to tell on him?
The victim could have exposed Morris at any time. Yet when years ago she merely asked for reimbursement of her counseling expenses, she was rebuffed and treated shamefully.
We should take little joy in this just and righteous result. Morris’ grievous sins have brought great dishonor upon the body of Christ. Yet when the Church fails to deal justly with its own, then God will often use secular authorities to execute His discipline. Praise God for his arrest Let us pray for this victim and for God’s cleansing power to sweep all unrighteousness from His Church.
What he has acknowledged having done is indeed more than sufficient for him to be permanently disqualified from ministry. It may even be sufficient for him to be incarcerated, though it is very difficult for the state to prove this case, certainly all but impossible for it to prove he raped her ‘by instrumentation’. And this is the point– I feel great sympathy for any victim of sexual abuse, but that sympathy must not allow me to deny this man his right to a fair trial with the absolute presumption of innocence, and the state’s corresponding requirement to prove him guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Why the heck would this be difficult for any American Christian to deal with?
Thank you Sheila and Julie for appropriately labeling Robert Morris as a preacher in the first paragraph. These big name, big platform celebrity preachers are not pastoring anyone. They have limited interaction with the congregation; they are just giving a supposedly Bible-based weekly lecture to an audience. That’s not pastoring. That’s preaching.
As a side note, we need to be asking ourselves if a 45-minute or more weekly Bible lecture delivered by professional orator is truly beneficial for our lives.
Amy…your argument is quite compelling and convicting. Short, not full of drama or blasting…just food for thought that leads to a thousand thoughts. Well played.
The guilt of the man doesn’t appear to be in question. I’d like to examine the culture that allows a grown man to be alone with a female child.
What are the positive results of a 21 year old man being left alone with a 12 year old girl? I’ll wait. What are the biblical reasons for NEVER being left alone with a 12 year old girl? (1 Thes 5:22) seems appropriate here doesn’t it?
I coached hundreds of girls from 6 to 16 years old. I took my son or daughter with me (often both) whenever I had to pick a child up for practice or a game. No man HAS to be alone with a young lady. The positives DON’T outweigh the negatives in allowing it to happen! Nobody is so spiritual that they should be considered above suspicion IF they’re actions require secrecy. This is 100% preventable, and 100% obvious.
Remember, the standards of law and of cultural practice were very different in 1982, than they are today (and esp this needs to be kept in mind when considering what sentence, possible max sentence, he could receive if convicted of this– he could only be sentenced according to the state of the law in OK in the time the action occurred, which may well be much less severe than the state of criminal law for these actions if committed today. I am not defending the behavior, and there is little doubt that sex acts with 12yos were certainly illegal for an adult to commit then. But the age of consent was almost certainly much less than 18, and many 21 yos would have been able to marry girls as young as maybe 16 then, and did so.
“My [CC’s] 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.”
We have not heard from a single Clemishire family member since this story broke. CC’s father, ‘TC’, has been silent. I cannot find, nor I have seen, heard or read a single comment from him. According to CC her father as present when RM was confronted with his sin/crimes. As a contemporaneous witness TC can confirm her account. In particular TC can confirm to what sins/crimes RM acknowledged and who exactly recommended the police not be informed and why. TC can also confirm the conditions, if any, attached to RM’s corrective counseling process. And TC can confirm that he forgave RM and he can confirm that CC at least mouthed the words, ‘I forgive you.’
I hope all the facts will be verified at trial and GOD’s justice will be done.
Robert Morris is reportedly worth tens of millions of dollars. He didn’t give Cindy the 50,000 she requested for help. He is now paying 50,000 for bail.
I wish that the victim could have spoken up sooner and she would have healed sooner. I don’t understand how her parents couldn’t sense something in her that was troubling?
Her parents knew since she was 17. She spoke up when she was 17. They were so entrenched in a religious system that would not allow her to be a “victim” because that would make Morris a “monster”. That’s the whole point, and why children and women don’t come forward- in the most cases they’re swept under the rug, and it’s assumed that STOPPING the abuse fixes the abuse- but men who do this rarely see much justice. The victims are often blamed, and sometimes even made to apologize to the congregation for seducing the good, good pastors involved.
Cindy got healing on Cindy’s terms, when she was ready. It’s too bad that she had to fight for it, because all of the systems around her were about protecting the pastor rather than the child.
It is certainly also at least potentially true that many of the pastors and elders, etc., who appear to have shielded Morris may well have simply been acting in accordance with their (rather standard, esp for evangelical churches back then) belief that these charged could not be sustained because Morris denied them, and the young lady was the sole witness against him, and the NT requires at least 2 or three witnesses for a church trial to convict an elder. You do not necessarily have to like this, but we do have to acknowlede that this reference is in there.
Thank you Jen for your post. You are 1000% correct. I was a Cindy, and sure there are countless Cindy’s out there.
Jen – Thank you! I could not have said it better. For all the Cindys out there, including me I pray you heal and use your voice for good.
Orange is the new black! My guess is that he will take a plea deal and never spend any real time in orange. But, it is encouraging to see that sometimes justice delayed is NOT justice denied.