Criminal case against ex-Gateway Church pastor Robert Morris moves toward trial
Minutes after he arrived in an Oklahoma courtroom Thursday morning, former Gateway Church lead pastor Robert Morris waived his right to a scheduled preliminary hearing in the criminal case against him.
The purpose of the hearing in Osage County was for a judge to determine whether prosecutors have enough evidence against Morris to proceed to trial, otherwise known as determining probable cause.
Morris’ attorneys had requested the preliminary hearing after the former North Texas pastor was indicted by a grand jury in March on five felony charges of lewd or indecent acts to a child, the Star-Telegram previously reported. Those charges stem from accusations that Morris, who was in his 20s at the time, sexually abused Cindy Clemishire throughout the 1980s, beginning when the girl was 12 years old.
Clemishire and her family were among the crowd who filled the courtroom in Pawhuska on Thursday morning waiting to see whether the hearing would go forward with the first potential witness testimony in the case.
Speaking to reporters outside the courthouse after Morris waived the hearing, Clemishire said the outcome was what she had expected, and she expressed appreciation for prosecutors handling the case.
“We appreciate all that they’re doing to bring it to closure and take care of the situation,” Clemishire said, adding that she’s “just thankful for my family’s support.”
Morris and his attorneys declined comment. He has pleaded not guilty.
The case will now move forward toward a trial, with the next court date scheduled for Oct. 2. That hearing will be a district court arraignment, according to the clerk’s office. The arraignment will involve a formal reading of the charges and will offer Morris another opportunity to plead, ask for additional time, ask for a motion hearing, or set a trial date for the case, according to Oklahoma court procedures.
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In a statement Thursday, the Attorney General’s Office said, “Our office looks forward to presenting the case against the defendant at trial.”
Pastor’s abuse began when girl was 12, prosecutors allege
The indictment by a multicounty grand jury gives several dates between December 1982 and January 1985 on which Morris allegedly abused Clemishire.
At the time the abuse allegedly began in December 1982, Morris was a traveling evangelist who visited Clemishire and her family in Hominy, Oklahoma, authorities said. The indictment alleges that Morris’ sexual misconduct began that Christmas and continued for the next four years.
Prosecutors believe that the statute of limitations does not apply in the case because Morris did not reside in or inhabit Oklahoma for any period of time, Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond said in a March statement. Drummond previously represented Clemishire when he was in private practice.
Morris’ defense attorneys may still try to challenge the statute of limitations issue before trial.
Clemishire, now grown, came forward with her story in June of last year, and Morris resigned days later from leadership of the North Texas megachurch that he founded in 2000, the Star-Telegram previously reported. Several elders of Gateway Church, which is based in Southlake, were dismissed last fall after an internal investigation found they had knowledge of the abuse prior to its public disclosure.
In a statement after the indictment, 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. Now, it is time for the legal system to hold him accountable.”
Robert Morris, Gateway Church also face lawsuits
The criminal case in Oklahoma is separate from two civil cases Morris and church leaders currently face in Tarrant County.
In one of those cases, Morris alleges that Gateway Church is using Clemishire’s allegations to get out of paying him a multi-million dollar retirement package. The judge in that case will decide Sept. 17 whether to force the parties into arbitration of the dispute.
At the center of the second lawsuit, Clemishire and her father, Jerry Lee Clemishire, claim that Morris and the Southlake church benefited financially from concealing the alleged abuse. Clemishire and her father are seeking civil damages in excess of $1 million.
That lawsuit is set for trial in Dallas County next summer, according to court documents.
This story was originally published September 4, 2025 at 11:03 AM.
