Robert Morris, a former megachurch pastor who founded Gateway Church in Texas, pleaded guilty on Thursday to child sex abuse charges. Morris, 64, resigned last year after a woman in Oklahoma accused him of sexually abusing her in the 1980s. He entered the plea before Judge Cindy Pickerill, admitting to five counts of lewd and indecent acts with a child. Morris will serve six months in prison in a county jail. BREAKING: Former Texas megachurch pastor Robert Morris pleads guilty to sexually abusing a 12-year-old girl in the 1980s and will serve 6 months in prison. https://t.co/pzpLiXaUtN — NBC News (@NBCNews) October 2, 2025 NBC News has more: Under a negotiated plea agreement, he was given a 10-year sentence, but he will serve only six months in the county jail. He must also register as a sex offender and pay $250,000 in restitution. Morris was handcuffed and taken into custody after Thursday’s hearing. Cindy Clemishire, the woman who accused Morris of molesting her at age 12, sat in the courtroom, surrounded by family, as Morris accepted responsibility — a moment she sought for decades. The plea represents a remarkable fall for Morris, who founded Gateway in 2000 in Southlake, Texas, and grew it into a megachurch with tens of thousands of weekly attendees. The abuse began in 1982 when Morris was a traveling evangelist staying in Oklahoma, the Associated Press noted. Morris was staying in Hominy, Oklahoma, with the victim’s family. The abuse continued for four years. CBS News Texas shared footage of authorities escorting Morris out of the courtroom in handcuffs: Robert Morris, the founding pastor of Gateway Church, was escorted out of an Oklahoma courtroom in handcuffs on Thursday. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison, with all but six months suspended. He is also required to register as a sex offender. pic.twitter.com/DcKQ4N7amf — CBS News Texas (@CBSNewsTexas) October 2, 2025 The Associated Press provided further info: The victim, Cindy Clemishire, who is now 55, said in a statement that “justice has finally been served, and the man who manipulated, groomed and abused me as a 12-year-old innocent girl is finally going to be behind bars.” The Associated Press typically does not name people who say they have been sexually assaulted unless they come forward publicly, as Clemishire has done. “My hope is that many victims hear my story, and it can help lift their shame and allow them to speak up,” she said. “I hope that laws continue to change and new ones are written so children and victims’ rights are better protected. I hope that people understand the only way to stop child sexual abuse is to speak up when it happens or is suspected.” Morris must register as a sex offender and will be supervised by Texas authorities via interstate compact. He also was ordered to pay his costs of incarceration, including any medical expenses, and restitution to the victim. One of Morris’ attorneys, Bill Mateja, said Morris wanted to accept responsibility for his conduct, and wanted to bring the legal matter to an end for the sake of him and his family and Clemishire and her family.