On June 14, 2024, it became public on
The Wartburg Watch, a religious watchdog focused on reporting abuse in churches, that Cindy Clemishire, a 54-year-old woman, had alleged that on
Christmas night in 1982, Morris, with whom she'd been staying in the same household, invited her to his room, instructed her to lie on his bed, and then proceeded to touch her breasts and feel under her underwear. At the time, Clemishire was 12 years old and Morris was a 21-year-old traveling evangelist who was married with one child. She recalled him saying, "Never tell anyone about this because it will ruin everything." Clemishire further alleged that similar encounters with Morris continued to occur over the next four and a half years in both Texas and
Oklahoma. She said as she grew older, Morris attempted to have
sexual intercourse with her, and that the abuse ended when she was 16 after she told her parents. In September 2005, Clemishire emailed Morris asking for restitution for his actions against her. Morris responded by saying he and his wife cared for her and that he had already obtained her and her family's forgiveness. He then threatened her by saying, "My attorney advises that if I pay you any money under a threat of exposure, you could be criminally prosecuted and Debbie and I do not want that." Clemishire further says she filed a civil lawsuit against Morris in 2005, but his attorneys claimed she was responsible for being "flirtatious" and offered her $25,000 to sign a
non-disclosure agreement (NDA), which she refused to do. Clemishire said that the sexual abuse started in 1982 and ended when she told her parents in March 1987; On July 31, his son, James Morris, who had been set to take over his role of senior pastor in 2025, likewise resigned from all church positions. Clemishire's attorney said in 2024 that Robert Morris could not be criminally charged nor held civilly responsible for the abuse due to the statute of limitations that existed in the late 80s in both Texas and Oklahoma where the incidents occurred. The press release said "The statute of limitations is not applicable in this case because Morris was not a resident or inhabitant of Oklahoma at any time." In Oklahoma the statute-of-limitations countdown clock pauses (
tolls) whenever the defendant resides outside of Oklahoma. Morris faced up to 20 years in prison for each charge. He pleaded guilty on October 2 and was taken into custody at the Osage County Courthouse in
Pawhuska. He was given a 10-year sentence but is only required to serve six months in the county jail. He must also register as a sex offender and pay $250,000 in restitution. He was released in late March 2026 after serving six months in jail. == References ==