US EditionPublished • loading... • Updated
Texas megachurch founder Robert Morris pleads guilty to child sex abuse charges
- On October 2, 2025, Robert Morris, the former lead pastor of the Texas-based Gateway Church in Southlake, pleaded guilty in Osage County, Oklahoma, to five felony charges involving indecent acts with a minor.
- The charges stem from allegations that Morris sexually abused Cindy Clemishire, a girl aged 12, between 1982 and 1985 while staying with her family in Oklahoma.
- Clemishire testified that the abuse severely affected her life including her marriages and parenting, and she sought $50,000 in restitution to cover therapy costs related to her trauma.
- Morris is required to register on the sex offender registry and compensate $250,000 in restitution, while Clemishire described the plea as the start of a fresh chapter for herself, her family, and her friends.
- The scandal caused Gateway Church financial losses and staff layoffs, and Clemishire believes she is not the only victim, also filing a $1 million civil lawsuit against Morris and church leaders.
Insights by Ground AI
75 Articles
75 Articles
Texas megachurch founder, onetime Trump adviser pleads guilty to child sex abuse
The founder of a Texas megachurch, and a onetime spiritual adviser to President Trump, pleaded guilty on Thursday to five counts of lewd and indecent acts with a child after a woman accused the pastor of sexually abusing her in the 1980s. Robert Morris, 64, entered the pleas before a judge in Oklahoma’s Osage County as part of a plea agreement, according to the state attorney general’s office. The alleged abuse began in 1982 when the victim was …
·New York, United States
Read Full Article
PBS NewsHourReposted by 
Upstract
UpstractFormer Texas megachurch pastor Robert Morris pleads guilty to child sex abuse charges
The founder of a Texas megachurch who resigned last year after a woman in Oklahoma accused the pastor of sexually abusing her in the 1980s pleaded guilty Thursday to five counts of lewd and indecent acts with a child, authorities said.
·Washington, United States
Read Full Article
Coverage Details
Total News Sources75
Leaning Left23Leaning Right7Center28Last UpdatedBias Distribution48% Center
Bias Distribution
- 48% of the sources are Center
48% Center
L 40%
C 48%
12%
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
