A prominent Texas megachurch founder completed his jail sentence Tuesday and was released from an Oklahoma facility where he served six months for sexually abusing a child decades ago.
Robert Preston Morris, age 64, walked out of custody shortly after midnight Tuesday, according to Osage County Sheriff’s Captain Matt Clark.
Last year, Morris entered guilty pleas to five charges of lewd or indecent conduct with a minor as part of a negotiated agreement that resulted in a 10-year suspended sentence. The deal required him to serve the initial six months behind bars at the Osage County Jail.
The criminal acts occurred starting in 1982 when Morris was working as a traveling evangelist and stayed with a family in Hominy, Oklahoma. The victim was just 12 years old at the time, according to Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond, whose office handled the prosecution.
Morris had served as senior pastor at Gateway Church, located in Southlake near Dallas-Fort Worth, where he oversaw one of America’s largest megachurches. He stepped down from his leadership role in June 2024 after the victim’s accusations surfaced publicly. An Oklahoma grand jury later issued an indictment against him.
As part of his sentence, Morris is required to register as a sex offender and will remain under supervision by Texas authorities through an interstate agreement. The court also ordered him to cover his incarceration costs, including any medical bills, and provide financial restitution to the victim.
The survivor, Cindy Clemishire, now in her 50s, was not available for comment Tuesday. However, when Morris received his sentence, she stated that “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.” The Associated Press generally does not identify individuals who report sexual assault unless they choose to speak publicly, as Clemishire has done.
Through his lawyer Bill Mateja, Morris issued a public apology Tuesday to Clemishire and her family while commending their bravery in speaking out.
“What I did to Cindy decades ago was wrong. There is no other word for it, and there is no excuse for it. I am deeply sorry,” Morris stated. “I have carried the weight of that wrong for a very long time, and I am grateful — genuinely grateful — that the Clemishires had the courage to bring this into the light.
“Many years ago, I sought their forgiveness privately, and as Cindy’s father recently noted, he extended that grace to me — a grace I did not deserve and have never taken for granted.”
Morris established Gateway Church in 2000 and became involved in political circles, including a previous role on President Donald Trump’s evangelical advisory committee. The church welcomed Trump to its Dallas location in 2020 for discussions about race relations and economic issues.
