The founder and former pastor of a Texas megachurch enters a guilty plea to child sex crimes in Osage County.

 

64 year-old Robert Morris entered his guilty plea yesterday in an Osage County courtroom in Pawhuska to five counts of lewd or indecent acts with a child. The charges stem from incidents that began in December 1982 when Morris was working as a traveling evangelist. Morris stayed at the home of the victim's family in Hominy when the abuse began. The victim was 12 years old at the time.

 

Morris was indicted by a Multi-County Grand Jury for the crimes earlier this year. He resigned as pastor of Gateway Church in the Dallas suburb of Southlake, Texas, last summer.

 

Under the plea agreement, Morris received a 10-year-suspended sentence with the first six months to be served in the Osage County Jail. He will also be required to register as a sex offender and cover the costs of his incarceration in addition to paying restitution to the victim.