Texas megachurch founder and Trump ally Robert Morris indicted on fees of committing lewd acts with baby | EUROtoday

The founding father of a Texas megachurch and former Trump ally has been indicted on fees of lewd or indecent acts with a toddler – which allegedly occurred within the Eighties.

Robert Morris, 63, resigned final 12 months from the Gateway Church within the Dallas suburb of Southlake as senior pastor after the allegations surfaced.

He is charged with 5 prison counts of lewd or indecent acts involving a toddler, who was 12 on the time, the Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office stated in an announcement Wednesday.

Morris, who was a member of President Donald Trump’s evangelical advisory committee throughout his first time period, stepped down final June after admitting to having “inappropriate sexual behavior with a young lady” within the Eighties, after a girl accused him of molesting her when she was 12-years-old.

Cindy Cemishire went public with the accusation final summer season. She claimed Morris instructed her: “Never tell anyone about this. It will ruin everything.”

Prosecutors stated the abuse occurred whereas Morris was a touring evangelist visiting Hominy, Oklahoma, with the household of the alleged sufferer. The indictment alleges the abuse began round Christmas of 1982 and carried on for the following 4 years.

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“There can be no tolerance for those who sexually prey on children,” Attorney General Gentner Drummond stated. “This case is all the more despicable because the alleged perpetrator was a pastor who exploited his position. The victim in this case has waited far too many years for justice to be done.”

Cemishire instructed NBC News that she was “grateful” to the authorities for pursuing the case. “After almost 43 years, the law has finally caught up with Robert Morris for the horrific crimes he committed against me as a child. Now, it is time for the legal system to hold him accountable,” she instructed the outlet.

Morris beforehand claimed that Cemishire’s household “forgave him” and he “repented.”

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“When I was in my early twenties, I was involved in inappropriate sexual behavior with a young lady in a home where I was staying. It was kissing and petting and not intercourse, but it was wrong,” he stated. “In March of 1987, this situation was brought to light, and it was confessed and repented of. I submitted myself to the Elders of Shady Grove Church and the young lady’s father. I asked their forgiveness, and they graciously forgave me.”

Clemishire instructed WFAA final 12 months that although her household by no means supported the disgraced Pastor’s return to the ministry.

“I think leaders can get caught up and think it’s our responsibility to protect God and it’s not. Our responsibility is to protect the people,” she stated. “God is bigger than all of that.”

When the allegations got here to gentle, Trump’s marketing campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung stated Trump had not been conscious of the allegations, in accordance with NBC News.

If discovered responsible, Morris faces as much as 20 years in jail.