A former pastor of a Texas megachurch who resigned after a woman accused him of sexually abusing her in the 1980s has been indicted on child sexual abuse charges.
Robert Preston Morris, 63, has been charged in Oklahoma with five counts of lewd or indecent acts with a child.
The alleged abuse started in 1982 when the victim, referred to in the indictment as CC, was 12 years old and Morris was a travelling evangelist staying with her family, according to the state’s attorney general’s office.
The abuse allegedly continued for four years.
Cindy Clemishire, Morris’ accuser, said in a statement that she is very grateful to the authorities who have worked to make the indictment possible and is hopeful “justice will ultimately prevail”.
“After almost 43 years, the law has finally caught up with Robert Morris for the horrific crimes he committed against me as a child,” said Ms Clemishire, now 55.
“Now, it is time for the legal system to hold him accountable.”
The Associated Press typically does not name people who say they have been sexually assaulted, but Ms Clemishire said she would like her name included.
Phone numbers associated with Morris were either disconnected or messages were not immediately returned on Wednesday.
It was unclear whether he had a lawyer.
“There can be no tolerance for those who sexually prey on children,” Oklahoma attorney general Gentner Drummond said in a statement.
“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.”
The Gateway Church, based in the Dallas, Texas suburb of Southlake, was founded by Morris in 2000.
It said in a statement on Wednesday that its members are praying for Ms Clemishire and “all of those impacted by this terrible situation”.
“We are aware of the actions being taken by the legal authorities in Oklahoma and are grateful for the work of the justice system in holding abusers accountable for their actions,” the statement said.
Morris resigned last year from the church after allegations came to light on the religious watchdog blog The Wartburg Watch.
Ms Clemishire told The Dallas Morning News last year that she met Morris in 1981 when he was a travelling preacher and began preaching at her family’s church in Oklahoma.
She said Morris and his wife and young son became close to her family. She said he was staying at her house in 1982 when the abuse began.
The church has multiple locations in the area. It is among the largest in the United States, according to the attorney general’s office.
Morris was known to be politically active.
The church hosted US President Donald Trump on its Dallas campus in 2020 for a discussion on race relations and the economy.
Morris could face up to 20 years in prison for each of the five charges, according to the attorney general’s office.
He was not in custody as of Wednesday.