THE CHRISTIAN POST– Robert Morris, founding pastor of Gateway Church in Southlake, Texas, was indicted on five counts of lewd or indecent acts with a child by a multi-county grand jury in Oklahoma on Wednesday.
The indictment stems from allegations made by Cindy Clemishire last June that he sexually abused her over multiple years in the 1980s, beginning when she was 12.
In December 1982, Morris was a traveling evangelist visiting in Hominy with the family of the alleged victim, who was 12 at the time. The indictment alleges Morris’ sexual misconduct began that Christmas and continued over the next four years.
In all, Morris faces five counts of lewd or indecent acts to a child,” a statement from the Office of Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond shared with The Christian Post on the charges against 63-year-old Morris, said.
“There can be no tolerance for those who sexually prey on children,” said Drummond, who once served as Clemishire’s attorney as she sought to get justice in the past.
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“This case is all the more despicable because the alleged perpetrator was a pastor who exploited his position. The victim in this case has waited far too many years for justice to be done.”
Gentner’s office noted that the statute of limitations is not applicable to the charges against Morris because he was not a resident or inhabitant of Oklahoma at any time.
Reacting to the indictment, Clemishire, now a 54-year-old grandmother who has been pushing to hold Morris accountable for decades, said she is grateful for the indictment some 43 years later.
“After almost 43 years, the law has finally caught up with Robert Morris for the horrific crimes he committed against me as a child. Now, it is time for the legal system to hold him accountable,” she said in a statement to CP …