Latest news with #TheWartburgWatch
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Yahoo
Former Texas megachurch pastor Robert Morris turns himself in amid child sex abuse charges
Former North Texas-based pastor of Gateway Church, Robert Morris, was booked and released on bond from the Osage County jail on Monday. Last week, Morris was indicted on five counts of lewd or indecent acts with a minor, according to the Oklahoma Attorney General's office. Last year, Morris resigned from his post after admitting to "inappropriate sexual behavior with a young lady" 35 years ago. The church removed several of its elders following a law firm's independent investigation into the allegations in November. Here's what we know about the arrest. Morris was booked into the Osage County Jail at 7:57 a.m., according to the Osage County Sheriff's office there. An arrest warrant for Morris shows his bond was set at $50,000 and he was required to surrender his passport. Morris's attorney intends to submit a not guilty plea. If found guilty, he may face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for each charge. According to the Oklahoma Attorney General's office, in December 1982, Morris was a traveling evangelist visiting in Hominy, Oklahoma with the family of Cindy Clemishire, the alleged victim, who was 12 at the time. Morris was 21. The indictment alleges Morris' sexual misconduct began that Christmas and continued over the next four years. Clemishire detailed her abuse in The Wartburg Watch, a blog focusing on nefarious issues in Christian churches. The alleged abuse continued in Oklahoma and Texas until 1987, Clemishire said. According to WFAA, Cindy Clemishire said his acts have caught up with him. "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. '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." According to the statute of limitations for lewd or indecent acts to a child must be commenced by the 45th birthday of the alleged victim who was under 18 at the time the crime happened. However, according to the Oklahoma Attorney General's office, the statute of limitations doesn't apply here because Morris was never a resident nor lived in the state at any time. Attorney General Gentner Drummond said Morris' crimes should have been addressed long ago. "There can be no tolerance for those who sexually prey on children,' Drummond said. '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.' This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Ex-Texas pastor Robert Morris out on bail after turning in himself
CBS News
14-03-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Why isn't there a statute of limitations in North Texas megachurch founder Robert Morris' child sex abuse case?
The North Texas megachurch founder and former spiritual advisor to President Donald Trump, Robert Morris, is facing child sex abuse charges in Oklahoma, where the attorney general said the statute of limitations has not run out on the alleged incidents from the 1980s. Morris resigned from Gateway Church last year following allegations that he had sexual relations in Oklahoma with a then 12-year-old girl, Cindy Clemishire, four decades ago. During the 1980s, Morris was a traveling preacher and came in contact with Clemishire because he would often stay with her family when he was in the area preaching. The allegations against Morris were first published Friday by The Wartburg Watch, a North Carolina-based church watchdog blog. The Christian Post then picked up the story. Clemishire, now 55, confirmed she is the unnamed victim in the indictment. She told CBS News Texas that she was in the courtroom when the indictment was read. The indictment was announced by the office of Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond. A multi-county grand jury investigation resulted in five felony counts. Drummond said at the time of the alleged " lewd or indecent acts with a child," Morris was not a resident of the state. As such, Drummond said he is interpreting state law as that the statute of limitations will not apply. It is something Morris' attorneys will likely challenge. In Oklahoma, statutes of limitations for both civil and criminal cases vary depending on the specific action or crime, ranging from one year to 10 years, with some offenses having no statute of limitations. According to the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals, the statute of limitations begins to run and the alleged offense has been "discovered" when any person, including the victim, other than the alleged wrongdoer or someone in equal fault, knows of both the act and its criminal nature. Oklahoma law also states that if the alleged wrongdoer did not reside within the state, the prosecution can argue that the statute of limitations has tolled, which suspends or extends the statute of limitations period. A date for an initial court appearance has not yet been set. Currently, court documents do not show that Morris is represented by an attorney. Bond for the former Gateway Church pastor has been set at $50,000 and Oklahoma officials said they expect Morris to surrender himself early next week.
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Who is Robert Morris? What to know about megachurch founder, sex abuse charges
A Texas megachurch founder and former spiritual adviser to President Donald Trump has been indicted by an Oklahoma grand jury, which brought five felony counts of lewd or indecent acts against him this week. Robert Morris, 63, resigned as senior pastor of Gateway Church in June after admitting to "inappropriate sexual behavior" in the 1980s. His accuser has said she was 12 when Morris first sexually abused her on Christmas in 1982 during a visit to her home in Hominy, Oklahoma. He was then 21. More: Gateway megachurch founder, former Trump spiritual adviser, indicted on charges of lewd acts with Oklahoma girl Morris was on Trump's spiritual advisory board during the 2016 campaign and during the first term of his presidency. He did not have a role in the 2024 reelection effort, Trump's campaign said last year. Morris had a television program that aired in over 190 countries and his radio program aired in more than 6,800 cities, according to his biography on the Gateway Church website. His YouTube page, which is no longer online, had 80,000 subscribers and included videos with titles like "Freedom Through Forgiveness" and "Did You Know You're Made Perfect By God's Grace?" Before founding Gateway Church in the Dallas suburbs in 2000, Morris was a traveling evangelist. The alleged crimes took place over a span of several years. It allegedly began on Christmas 1982 after Morris was invited to lead a youth revival in Hominy, which is in Osage County. He would regularly preach at the church on Sundays and often stayed at the victim's home. The state's multicounty grand jury returned the indictment Wednesday after hearing two days of testimony in secret sessions. Grand jurors charged Morris with five counts of lewd or indecent acts to a child. Grand jurors alleged the offenses started when the girl was 12 and continued while she was 13 and 14. The former pastor's Oklahoma attorney, Mack Martin, declined comment. The attorney general's office said time restrictions on prosecuting sex crimes against children do not apply because Morris did not live in Oklahoma at any time. More: Gateway Church removes elders, aiding criminal investigation: 'We denounce sexual abuse' Morris admitted to wrongdoing after his accuser spoke out by name to The Wartburg Watch, a blog about sexual abuse within the church. In statements to the media last year, Morris said he was involved in his early 20s in "inappropriate sexual behavior with a young lady in a home where I was staying." Grand jurors alleged in the indictment that he touched her "in a lewd or lascivious manner" while she was 12, the first time on Christmas 1982. Grand jurors also alleged he lewdly touched her further while she was 13 and 14.+ He faces up to 100 years in prison if convicted of all five counts. The indictment will be filed for prosecution in Osage County District Court. Morris is expected to turn himself in there next week. This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Robert Morris indicted: What to know about ex-megachurch pastor's case
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Who is Robert Morris? What to know about megachurch founder, sex abuse charges
A Texas megachurch founder and former spiritual adviser to President Donald Trump has been indicted by an Oklahoma grand jury, which brought five felony counts of lewd or indecent acts against him this week. Robert Morris, 63, resigned as senior pastor of Gateway Church in June after admitting to "inappropriate sexual behavior" in the 1980s. His accuser has said she was 12 when Morris first sexually abused her on Christmas in 1982 during a visit to her home in Hominy, Oklahoma. He was then 21. More: Gateway megachurch founder, former Trump spiritual adviser, indicted on charges of lewd acts with Oklahoma girl Morris was on Trump's spiritual advisory board during the 2016 campaign and during the first term of his presidency. He did not have a role in the 2024 reelection effort, Trump's campaign said last year. Morris had a television program that aired in over 190 countries and his radio program aired in more than 6,800 cities, according to his biography on the Gateway Church website. His YouTube page, which is no longer online, had 80,000 subscribers and included videos with titles like "Freedom Through Forgiveness" and "Did You Know You're Made Perfect By God's Grace?" Before founding Gateway Church in the Dallas suburbs in 2000, Morris was a traveling evangelist. The alleged crimes took place over a span of several years. It allegedly began on Christmas 1982 after Morris was invited to lead a youth revival in Hominy, which is in Osage County. He would regularly preach at the church on Sundays and often stayed at the victim's home. The state's multicounty grand jury returned the indictment Wednesday after hearing two days of testimony in secret sessions. Grand jurors charged Morris with five counts of lewd or indecent acts to a child. Grand jurors alleged the offenses started when the girl was 12 and continued while she was 13 and 14. The former pastor's Oklahoma attorney, Mack Martin, declined comment. The attorney general's office said time restrictions on prosecuting sex crimes against children do not apply because Morris did not live in Oklahoma at any time. More: Gateway Church removes elders, aiding criminal investigation: 'We denounce sexual abuse' Morris admitted to wrongdoing after his accuser spoke out by name to The Wartburg Watch, a blog about sexual abuse within the church. In statements to the media last year, Morris said he was involved in his early 20s in "inappropriate sexual behavior with a young lady in a home where I was staying." Grand jurors alleged in the indictment that he touched her "in a lewd or lascivious manner" while she was 12, the first time on Christmas 1982. Grand jurors also alleged he lewdly touched her further while she was 13 and 14.+ He faces up to 100 years in prison if convicted of all five counts. The indictment will be filed for prosecution in Osage County District Court. Morris is expected to turn himself in there next week. This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Robert Morris indicted: What to know about ex-megachurch pastor's case
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Yahoo
Former Texas megachurch pastor Robert Morris indicted on charges of lewd acts with minor
Former North Texas-based pastor of Gateway Church, Robert Morris, has been indicted on five counts of lewd or indecent acts with a minor, according to the Oklahoma Attorney General's office. Last year, Morris resigned from his post after admitting to "inappropriate sexual behavior with a young lady" 35 years ago. The church removed several of its elders following a law firm's independent investigation into the allegations in November. Here is what we know about the indictment. According to the Oklahoma Attorney General's office, in December 1982, Morris was a traveling evangelist visiting in Hominy, Oklahoma with the family of Cindy Clemishire, the alleged victim, who was 12 at the time. Morris was 21. The indictment alleges Morris' sexual misconduct began that Christmas and continued over the next four years. Clemishire detailed her abuse in The Wartburg Watch, a blog focusing on nefarious issues in Christian churches. The alleged abuse continued in Oklahoma and Texas until 1987, Clemishire said. "After almost 43 years, the law has finally caught up with Robert Morris for the horrific crimes he committed against me as a child," Clemishire said in a statement to the Oklahoman after the indictment was made public. According to the statute of limitations for lewd or indecent acts to a child must be commenced by the 45th birthday of the alleged victim who was under 18 at the time the crime happened. However, according to the Oklahoma Attorney General's office, the statute of limitations doesn't apply here because Morris was never a resident nor lived in the state at any time. Attorney General Gentner Drummond said Morris' crimes should have been addressed long ago. "There can be no tolerance for those who sexually prey on children,' Drummond said. '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.' — USA TODAY contributed to this report. This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Former Texas pastor Robert Morris indicted on child sex abuse charges
