OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) 鈥� A former pastor of a Texas megachurch accused of child sexual abuse surrendered to Oklahoma authorities Monday.
Robert Preston Morris, 63, turned himself in to officials in Osage County, where he was with five counts of lewd or indecent acts with a child, Phil Bacharach, a spokesman for the Oklahoma Attorney General's Office, told The Associated Press.
Court records show an Osage County judge set a $50,000 bond and ordered Morris to surrender his passport.
Morris is expected to make an initial appearance before a judge at 10 a.m. on May 9, Bacharach said.
Attorney Mack Martin declined to comment on the charges but said he anticipated entering a not guilty plea on Morris' behalf.
Morris as pastor of Gateway Church in the Dallas suburb of Southlake after a woman accused him of sexually abusing her in the 1980s.
The victim, referred to in the indictment as C.C., told authorities the abuse started when she was 12 years old and Morris was a traveling evangelist staying in Hominy, Oklahoma, with her family, according to the attorney general鈥檚 office. She said the abuse continued for four years.
Cindy Clemishire, Morris鈥� accuser, said in a statement that she is very grateful to the authorities who have worked to make the indictment possible and is hopeful 鈥渏ustice will ultimately prevail.鈥�
鈥淎fter almost 43 years, the law has finally caught up with Robert Morris for the horrific crimes he committed against me as a child,鈥� said Clemishire, now 55. 鈥淣ow, it is time for the legal system to hold him accountable.鈥�
The AP typically does not name people who say they have been sexually assaulted, but Clemishire said she would like her name included.
Morris was known to be . The church hosted President on its Dallas campus in 2020 for a and the economy.
Morris could face up to 20 years in prison for each of the five charges, according to the attorney general鈥檚 office.
Sean Murphy, The Associated Press
