Former megachurch pastor Robert Morris has pleaded guilty to five felony counts of lewd or indecent acts with a child, admitting that he sexually abused Cindy Clemishire when she was just 12 years old.
In a negotiated plea agreement, Morris, 64, was handed a 10-year sentence but will only serve 6 months before being released. Upon his release, Morris will have to register as a sex offender and pay Clemishire more than $250,000 in restitution.
NBC News notes:
In a prepared statement, Clemishire told Morris in court his abuse “rippled into every part” of her life, straining relationships, damaging her marriages and affecting the way she raised her children. She said she prayed that God helped him to understand the depth of the pain he inflicted.
Morris eyes were fixed on the table in front of him as Clemishire, speaking through tears, faced him during her remarks.
“Let me be clear,” she said. “There is no such thing as consent from a 12-year-old child. We were never in an ‘inappropriate relationship.’ I was not a ‘young lady’ but a child. You committed a crime against me.”
Morris was facing a maximum of 100 years in prison, with each count carrying up to 20 years.
In 1982, pastor Robert Morris began molesting 12-year-old Cindy Clemishire, initiating sexual contact with her that would continue for the next four and a half years. In 2005, she contacted him about the abuse, which his wife, Debbie, was fully aware of. He instead sought to buy her silence, according to the phone call transcripts.
