The pastor of a “megachurch” in North Texas has resigned following revelations that he sexually molested a child over the course of 4 years in the 1980s.
Robert Morris, 62, has stepped down as senior pastor of Gateway Church in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, which he founded in 1999. The nondenominational Christian megachurch, based in Southlake, Texas, but with many branches, is reportedly the largest church of its kind in the nation, averaging about 100,000 parishioners each week.
As its leader, Morris has served as a religious advisor to politicians like former President Donald Trump and current Texas Governor Greg Abbott, according to the Associated Press.
Morris’ son, associate senior pastor James Morris, remains listed under the church’s “senior leadership.”
Morris’ resignation, which was accepted by the church, came a short time after the alleged abuse was reported on June 14 by The Wartburg Watch, an online blog dedicated to exposing stories of abuse within the Christian faith.
Morris had reportedly admitted for many years that he had an inappropriate sexual relationship as a married family man in his 20s. But he did not indicate that this involved an underaged child of 12, instead referring to her as “a young lady.”
The church has claimed that it did not know the underaged nature of Morris’ victim until the reports surfaced on June 14. According to a report by The New York Times, which was cited by the Houston Chronicle, the church’s Board of Elders then engaged a law firm to conduct an independent investigation into the case.
“Regretfully, prior to June 14, the elders did not have all the facts of the inappropriate relationship between Morris and the victim, including her age at the time and the length of the abuse,” the church stated in a release.
“The elders’ prior understanding was that Morris’ extramarital relationship, which he had discussed many times throughout his ministry, was with ‘a young lady’ and not abuse of a 12-year-old child. Even though it occurred many years before Gateway was established, as leaders of the church, we regret that we did not have the information that we now have.”
The victim was Cindy Clemishire, whose name can be used since she voluntarily went public with the account.
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Morris admits sex abuse of an underaged child
Since the age of the victim was reported, Morris has continued to admit what he did. He told The Christian Post that he admitted molesting the girl, who was 12 when the abuse started, and that the behavior occurred several times between 1982 and 1987.
At that time, the situation was “brought to light, and it was confessed and repented of,” he confirmed.
“It was kissing and petting and not intercourse, but it was wrong,” Morris said in a statement, adding that he returned to the ministry after 2 years of counseling.
Morris reportedly met the victim in 1981 at a youth revival at her church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, while he was a traveling evangelist. After that, her family and his, including his wife and son, became friendly. The abuse reportedly began in late 1982, when the victim was 12 and Morris was staying at her parents’ house.
She told The Wartburg Watch that Morris asked her to visit his room, where he molested her by touching her breasts and private parts. She said he also told her not to tell anyone, or it would “ruin everything.”
She claims the abuse continued until 1987 and that Morris often tried to have sexual intercourse with her after she turned 16. The abuse stopped when she confided in a friend, who encouraged her to tell her parents.
Clemishire has refuted Gateway Church’s claim that it did not know the underage nature of Morris’ victim until just a few days ago. According to The Dallas Morning News, she first contacted the church about the abuse in 2005, hired an attorney in 2005 to sue Morris for the cost of her therapy and has repeatedly spoken about it.
Statutes of limitations can be key to a charge
So far, authorities in Oklahoma have not indicated whether Morris will be charged with a sex crime.
Pursuing legal action for sex crimes that allegedly occurred many years ago can be thwarted by statutes of limitations. Such statutes specify a certain time frame during which legal action must be taken and after which it cannot be. Those statutes, which can be state or federal, often cover several years, or perhaps 10 years.
But in the case of some severe crimes, no statute of limitations may apply, meaning there is no time limit on how many years can pass before a charge is filed.
In 2017, Oklahoma changed its laws so that accusers would have less time to file a complaint. The statute of limitations for filing a charge of a sex crime involving children in Oklahoma is now 12 years after the accuser turns 18 years old. Those 12 years are less than half the time frame previously allowed, which was 28 or more years, or until the alleged victim was 45.
However, there are exceptions.
If the accuser was under 16 years old at the time of the alleged sex crime, then no statute of limitations applies.
Also, no such statute applies if physical evidence is available that, when tested, could reveal DNA results to indicate the identity of the accused.
In addition, Oklahoma has no statute of limitations for crimes of first-degree rape and sexual assault against anyone of any age.
Given that the accuser in Morris’ case said she was 12 years old when the sex abuse against her commenced, it would not matter that she is now 54 years old because she was under 16 at the time of the alleged crimes.
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What is Texas’ statute of limitations for sex crimes against children?
Though Morris has lived for many years in Texas, he still could be charged by Oklahoma authorities since the alleged sex crimes occurred in Oklahoma, the alleged victim was under 16 and he has admitted the crimes.
But what about cases of sex abuse against children in Texas? What are statutes of limitations for sex crimes in Texas?
For a serious charge such as sexual performance by a child 16 or younger, the statute of limitations is 20 years, a time frame starting on the victim’s 18th birthday.
Even more severe are Texas laws holding that there are no time limits for legal actions after the crimes of:
And keep in mind that when it comes to child sex offenses, Texas penalties can be harsh. Punishments for child sex crimes can include paying high fines and spending many years in prison.
Get an experienced Houston-area sex crime defense lawyer
If you or a family member in the Houston area faces a claim, accusation or charge of a sex crime, including a sex crime against a child, you must engage a skilled, knowledgeable and experienced sex crime defense attorney or lawyer.
