Texas megachurch founder Robert Morris pleaded guilty Thursday to repeatedly sexually abusing a young girl in the 1980s, and he will serve jail time as a result.
Morris resigned last summer as the senior pastor of Gateway Church in Southlake, Texas, following the allegations. He was later indicted by a Multi-County Grand Jury earlier this year.
The 64-year-old appeared in front of Osage County District Special Judge Cindy Pickerill and entered a guilty plea to five felony counts of lewd or indecent acts to a child.
He will serve six months in the Osage County jail and then be on probation for nine years and six months, according to a plea agreement outlined by Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond in a news release.
Morris must register as a sex offender and will be supervised by Texas authorities via an interstate compact. He was also ordered to pay $270,000, which will include the costs of incarceration, including any medical expenses, and restitution to the victim, Cindy Clemishire.
"There can be no tolerance for those who sexually prey on children," said Attorney General Drummond. "This case is all the more despicable because the perpetrator was a pastor who exploited his position of trust and authority. The victim in this case has waited far too many years for this day."
As CBN News reported, Morris sexually abused Clemishire beginning in 1982 when she was just 12 years old. At the time, Morris was a traveling evangelist who was temporarily staying with Clemishire's family in Hominy, Oklahoma. The abuse continued for four years.
Clemishire told CBN News it took years for her to fully grasp what she endured. "I was 12," she said. "I was not a teenager yet. And I told (adults what happened) when I was 17 — and it did go all the way through ... the full year of being 16."
Clemishire said Thursday she hopes her case will inspire others to share their stories.
"My hope is that many victims hear my story, and it can help lift their shame and allow them to speak up. I hope that laws continue to change and new ones are written so children and victims' rights are better protected," she said.
"I hope that people understand the only way to stop child sexual abuse is to speak up when it happens or is suspected. Today is a new beginning for me, my family and friends who have been by my side through this horrendous journey," Clemishire continued.
"I leave this courtroom today not as a victim, but a survivor," she concluded her statement.
The revelations about Morris created a tumultuous scandal that rocked Gateway Church's massive congregation and the Christian community at large.
As a result of these events, the Southlake campus saw a significant decline in attendance and tithing contributions. As CBN News Digital reported earlier this year, an internal video leaked on Facebook revealed that tithes at the church had dropped by 35%-40% since Clemishire first revealed her allegations against the now-disgraced Morris.
Last November, a lawsuit was filed against Morris, alleging he committed financial fraud by mishandling millions of dollars in church donations. The disgraced pastor attempted to have the motion dismissed, but it was denied by a Texas judge in September.
"We think the judge made the right decision in his rulings," Lance Livingston, an attorney for the former church members, wrote in a statement to KERA News Friday. "It'll allow us to start moving the case forward with discovery and start working towards getting justice for the former church members."
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