Former North Texas megachurch pastor Robert Morris was released from an Oklahoma prison early Tuesday after pleading guilty in October to charges of indecent conduct with a child in connection with a sexual abuse case from the 1980s.
Morris, the founding pastor of Gateway Church in Southlake, was sentenced to 10 years in prison. All except six months of the jail time was suspended, and he will serve the remainder of his sentence on probation in Texas.
Osage County Jail officials confirmed to Star-Telegram media partner WFAA-TV on Tuesday that Morris had been released.
Morris resigned from his position at Gateway in June 2024 after Cindy Clemishire, who is now in her 50s, revealed that Morris had abused her for four years in Oklahoma and Texas beginning when she was 12. Morris was 21 at the time.
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Gateway Church founder Robert Morris enters the Osage County Courthouse in Pawhuska, Oklahoma, accompanied by his wife, Debbie Morris, and his attorney, Mack Martin, on May 9, 2025. Morris was released from prison Tuesday, March 31, 2026, after spending nearly six months behind bars in Oklahoma in connection with a child sexual abuse case from the 1980s. Morris will serve the remainder of his 10-year sentence on probation in Texas. Juan Figueroa The Dallas Morning News/TNS
Clemishire was present when Morris entered his guilty plea during a court hearing in Pawhuska, Oklahoma. She said in her victim impact statement that “justice has finally been served.”
“The man who manipulated, groomed and abused me as a 12-year-old innocent girl is finally going to be behind bars,” Clemishire said. “I hope that people understand the only way to stop child sexual abuse is to speak up when it happens or is suspected.”
Cindy Clemishire poses for a photo at her home in Jones, Oklahoma, on Aug. 6, 2024. Clemishire says Robert Morris, the founder of Gateway Church, began sexually abusing her when she was 12. Juan Figueroa Dallas Morning News/TNS
Morris will be required to register as a sex offender for life.
Several civil cases are still pending, including a lawsuit that Clemishire and her father filed against Morris and the church, and a case in which Morris is seeking retirement pay from Gateway.
Statement from Robert Morris
In a statement Tuesday after his release, Morris said, “I am grateful to have had time to reflect carefully on what I want to say, so I will keep this brief and speak plainly. First, to the many friends, family members, and people I have never even met who wrote letters, who prayed, and who held me in their thoughts during these months — thank you. I read all those letters, and they meant more to me than I can express.
“I want to speak directly to Cindy Clemishire and her family,” Morris said. “What I did to Cindy decades ago was wrong. There is no other word for it, and there is no excuse for it. I am deeply sorry. I have carried the weight of that wrong for a very long time, and I am grateful — genuinely grateful — that the Clemishires had the courage to bring this into the light. It is only in the light that things can truly be addressed and healed. Many years ago, I sought their forgiveness privately, and as Cindy’s father recently noted, he extended that grace to me — a grace I did not deserve and have never taken for granted. I ask again, publicly and sincerely, for the forgiveness of Cindy and her entire family. Whatever healing lies ahead for them, I pray for it with all my heart.”
Statement from Cindy Clemishire
Clemishire’s attorney, Texas state Rep. Jeff Leach, released this statement Tuesday on her behalf:
“Robert Morris’ six month prison sentence for the sexual assault of twelve-year old Cindy Clemishire may be complete, but we are heartened to know that he still has nearly ten years of probation as well as a lifetime ahead of being publicly registered as a sex offender.
While the criminal justice system continues to hold Robert accountable for his heinous crimes and seeks to protect potential future victims through close monitoring and probation limitations, Cindy will continue to fully pursue justice via the civil justice system.
She rightfully seeks full accountability not only for Robert and the crimes he committed against her as a young child, but also for the other individuals who harbored him, covered for him, lied for him and even in some cases attacked Cindy on his behalf.”
This story was originally published March 31, 2026 at 9:11 AM.
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