Texas Pastor Pleads Guilty to Sex Abuse of Minor

Robert Morris, the 64-year-old founder of Gateway Church, one of the largest megachurches in the United States, pleaded guilty on Thursday to sexually abusing a 12-year-old girl in the 1980s.

Morris admitted to felony charges of lewd or indecent acts with a child during a court hearing. As part of a plea deal, he was sentenced to 10 years, with six months to be served in jail and the remainder on probation. He must also register as a sex offender and pay $250,000 in restitution.

The charges stem from abuse reported by Cindy Clemishire, who said Morris repeatedly assaulted her over four years beginning in 1982, when he lived with her family in Hominy, Oklahoma, while working as a travelling evangelist.

Morris, once a spiritual adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump and a prominent figure in evangelical circles, was taken into custody immediately after the hearing.

Gateway Church, which Morris founded in 2000, grew to more than 100,000 attendees across multiple campuses in Texas and surrounding states at its peak.