Morris Jailed for Child Sex Abuse

0:00It's March 31st. Welcome in. This is Dallas News today, where local news meets AI. Former Gateway Church founder, Robert Morris, now 64, just got released from an Oklahoma jail after serving a six-month sentence for child sex. Abuse. He pleaded guilty to charges stemming from abusing Cindy Klimashire back in the 1980s when she was just 12 years old. Morris faced five council no-sage county court, paid some fines upon release, and now has to register as a sex offender. He's also won probation for the rest of a 10-year suspended sentence, marking the end of his time behind bars. The abuse happened while Morris, then a traveling preacher, stayed at Klimashire's family home in Oklahoma. She didn't tell her parents until she was 17, and the case pooled last year after decades of silence. Morris had previously admitted to what he called an inappropriate relationship with a young lady in his early 20s, but his former church elders said they didn't know her real age. Gateway Church forced his resignation as senior pastor back in June of last year.

1:03This chapter closes with Morris stepping fully away from ministry life, leaving a big mark on the mega-church world and sparking wider talks about. Accountability in religious circles.