Texas Megachurch Pastor Indicted for '80s Child Abuse

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK — The founder and former senior pastor of Gateway Church in Southlake, Texas, was indicted on Wednesday, March 12, on charges of sexually abusing a 12-year-old girl in the 1980s.

Robert Preston Morris, 63, resigned from his position at the church in summer 2024 after sexual abuse allegations were made against him. According to the indictment announced by Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond, Morris is accused of abusing the daughter of a family he was staying with in Hominy, Oklahoma, while working as a traveling preacher.

The alleged abuse started in December 1982, when the victim was just 12 years old, and continued until around January 1985, when she was 15. Morris faces five counts of lewd or indecent acts with a child.

The victim, now 54, identified in court documents by the initials C.C., was reportedly 13 or 14 years old at the time of some of the incidents.

Two counts accuse Morris of "intentionally and designedly touch or feel with his hand the body and private parts, including the breast and vaginal area, of C.C."

One count alleges him of looking at the victim’s private areas after removing her clothing and exposing her body to his view.

The fourth count accuses that he molested the victim while parked in a vehicle on Red Eagle Road in Osage County, Oklahoma.

The fifth count accuses him of touching or feeling the private parts of C.C., then about 13 or 14, "by removing her clothing and rubbing his body, including his penis, covered by his clothing, against her body, including her leg."

Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond condemned the actions, saying, “There can be no tolerance for those who sexually prey on children. This case is all the more despicable because the alleged perpetrator was a pastor who exploited his position.”

Gateway Church, based in Southlake, Texas, is one of the largest megachurches in the United States and has multiple churches in the area. Since the indictment, the church has not yet made a public statement.

Morris could face up to 20 years in prison for each of the five charges. He was not in custody as of Wednesday, March 12.