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A former Texas megachurch pastor and past spiritual adviser to Donald Trump has surrendered to Oklahoma authorities on child sexual abuse charges.
Robert Preston Morris, 63, turned himself in to Osage County officials on Monday.
He was formally charged last Thursday with five counts of lewd or indecent acts with a child, according to Phil Bacharach, spokesperson for the Oklahoma attorney general’s office.
Court records indicate that an Osage County judge set Morris’s bond at $50,000 and ordered him to surrender his passport.
His initial court appearance is scheduled for May 9 at 10 a.m.
Morris’s attorney, Mack Martin, declined to comment on the charges but stated he expects to enter a not-guilty plea on Morris’s behalf.
Morris stepped down last year as pastor of Gateway Church in Southlake, Texas, following allegations of sexual abuse dating back to the 1980s.
The accuser, identified as Cindy Clemishire, reported that the abuse began when she was 12. She stated that Morris, then a traveling evangelist, stayed with her family in Hominy, Oklahoma, and continued abusing her for four years.
Clemishire expressed gratitude for the legal action, saying, “After nearly 43 years, the law has finally caught up with Robert Morris.
Now, it is time for the legal system to hold him accountable.”
While the Associated Press typically does not name sexual abuse victims, Clemishire requested that her name be included.
Morris was known for his political involvement. In 2020, Gateway Church hosted Trump for a discussion on race and the economy.
Morris also served on Trump’s spiritual advisory committee and evangelical executive advisory board during his first term.
He later joined efforts to rally evangelical support for Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign.
If convicted, Morris faces up to 20 years in prison for each of the five charges, according to the Oklahoma attorney general’s office.
