Former Gateway Church pastor pleads guilty to child sex abuse

Robert Preston Morris, the founder and former senior pastor of Gateway Church in Southlake, Texas, pleaded guilty Thursday in Osage County District Court to five felony counts of lewd or indecent acts with a child, admitting to sexually abusing a girl in the 1980s. As part of a negotiated plea, the 64-year-old was sentenced to a 10-year term with the first six months to be served in county jail, was ordered to register as a sex offender, and must pay $250,000 in restitution. He was handcuffed and taken into custody after the hearing.

The victim, Cindy Clemishire, told the court and prosecutors the abuse began in 1982 when she was 12 and continued through 1985 while Morris was a traveling evangelist staying with her family in Hominy, Oklahoma. Clemishire has said she kept the abuse secret until 1987, when she informed her parents and church leaders. No criminal complaint was filed at that time, and Morris later described undergoing a restoration process in the late 1980s before resuming ministry.

Clemishire said she sought restitution in the mid-2000s from Morris and church leaders to cover therapy costs and requested $50,000; Morris allegedly offered $25,000 and the talks ended...