A former pastor of a Texas megachurch – and ex-Donald Trump religious adviser – surrendered to Oklahoma authorities on Monday on prices of kid sexual abuse.
Robert Preston Morris, 63, turned himself over to officers in Osage county, the place he was charged on Thursday with 5 counts of lewd or indecent acts with a baby, Phil Bacharach, a spokesperson for the Oklahoma legal professional common’s workplace, advised the Related Press.
Court docket information present an Osage county decide set a $50,000 bond and ordered Morris to give up his passport.
Morris is predicted to make an preliminary look earlier than a decide at 10am on 9 Might, Bacharach stated.
Legal professional Mack Martin declined to touch upon the fees however stated he anticipated coming into a not responsible plea on Morris’s behalf.
Morris resigned final yr as pastor of Gateway church within the Dallas suburb of Southlake after a girl accused him of sexually abusing her within the Eighties.
The sufferer, referred to within the indictment as CC, advised authorities the abuse began when she was 12 years previous and Morris was a touring evangelist staying in Hominy, Oklahoma, along with her household, in accordance with the legal professional common’s workplace. She stated the abuse continued for 4 years.
Cindy Clemishire, Morris’s accuser, stated in a press release that she was very grateful to the authorities who’ve labored to make the indictment potential and was hopeful “justice will ultimately prevail”.
“After almost 43 years, the law has finally caught up with Robert Morris for the horrific crimes he committed against me as a child,” stated Clemishire, now 55. “Now, it is time for the legal system to hold him accountable.”
The AP usually doesn’t identify individuals who say they’ve been sexually assaulted, however Clemishire stated she would really like her identify included.
Morris was recognized to be politically energetic. The church hosted Trump on its Dallas campus in 2020 for a dialogue on race relations and the financial system. He was additionally a member of Trump’s religious advisory committee and evangelical government advisory board throughout his first presidential time period – and joined an effort to mobilize conservatives and evangelicals in help of Trump’s profitable 2024 presidential marketing campaign.
Morris might resist 20 years in jail for every of the 5 prices, in accordance with the legal professional common’s workplace.
