Former megachurch pastor Robert Morris, who previously served as Donald Trump’s spiritual advisor and was accused of sexually assaulting a young girl over 40 years ago, appeared in new sex offender registry photos showing a black eye. The injury occurred when Morris fell while reaching for something in his garage, breaking bones in his face according to medical staff. Morris pleaded guilty in October 2025 and received a sentence of ten years with only six months served due to a plea agreement.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-17,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Robert Morris, a disgraced former megachurch pastor and once Donald Trump’s spiritual advisor, appeared with a black eye in a new photo on Texas' sex offender registry website. Morris, 65, pleaded guilty to indecent conduct with a child in October 2025 after being accused of sexually assaulting a young girl over 40 years ago in Oklahoma.
According to CBS News Texas, Morris' attorney, Bill Mateja, claimed that the bruising was due to an accident where Morris fainted while bending down and hitting his head on both a car door and concrete. Doctors found he had broken three facial bones but otherwise deemed him stable. The lawyer attributed this fall to Morris taking blood pressure medication on an empty stomach.
Morris founded Gateway Church in Southlake, Texas, before stepping down amid the scandal. His sentence was met with mixed reactions; while some felt it did not fit the crime's severity, Morris' accuser, Clemishire, expressed relief that he had served time behind bars.
Written for “Robert Morris Registry Photo” on 2026-09-17,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
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question, so it has no leaning score. That is an
answer rather than a gap: a match report or a rescue can be warmly
or critically written without being left or right, and scoring it
anyway is how approval of a subject gets recorded as a political
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No political leaning scored for article 14518 · logged 2026-09-17
Disgraced former megachurch pastor Robert Morris, who was once Donald Trump’s spiritual advisor, was seen sporting a black eye in a new sex offender registry photo.
asserted
who → see → photo
The Texas sex offender registry’s website uploaded a new image of Morris on Tuesday with the prominent black bruise surrounding his right eye.
asserted
website → upload → eye
The 65-year-old founder of Gateway Church pleaded guilty in October 2025 to charges of indecent conduct with a child after he was accused of sexually assaulting a young girl in Oklahoma more than 40 years ago.
asserted
he → plead → Oklahoma
“Last week, Pastor Robert was in his garage and leaned over to pick something up.
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Robert → lean → something
When he raised up, he passed out and fell.
asserted
he → raise → ?
He first hit a car door and then fell to the concrete floor.
asserted
He → hit → floor
His wife, Debbie, was with him at the time,” Morris’ attorney, Bill Mateja, told CBS News Texas.
asserted
attorney → tell → News
Morris was taken in an ambulance to the hospital, where doctors said he broke three bones in his face.
asserted
he → take → face
“Medical staff believe this might have been caused by the act of raising up coupled with him having recently taken his blood pressure medication on an empty stomach,” Mateja said.
uncertain
Mateja → believe → stomach
Aside from the broken bones, Morris was deemed to be okay by medical staff, his lawyer added.
asserted
lawyer → break → staff
Morris led the Southlake, Texas-based megachurch, Gateway Church, for 24 years until he resigned in 2024.
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he → lead → 2024
His resignation came after allegations that he sexually assaulted Cindy Clemshire starting in 1982, when she was 12 years old.
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she → come → 1982
The abuse occurred at her family’s home in Oklahoma while he was there as a traveling preacher.
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he → occur → preacher
Officials said the abuse continued for four years.
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abuse → say → years
Even though Clemshire reported the abuse, charges weren’t brought against Morris until decades later.
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charges → report → Morris
In October 2025, Morris was sentenced in Osage County District Court to 10 years, but only had to serve six months in jail under a plea agreement.
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Morris → sentence → agreement
Clemishire, who was 55 at the time of Morris’ sentencing, said she reported the abuse to her parents and church leaders in 1987.
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she → say → 1987
She later attempted to pursue allegations in 2005 and 2007.
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She → attempt → 2005
Morris’ Gateway Church grew into one of the largest megachurches in the country, pushing him into the national spotlight and leading to him becoming President Donald Trump’s spiritual advisor during his first term in White House in 2016.
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him → grow → 2016
After Morris was released from jail this past March, Clemishire told CBS News Texas, “The most important thing for me was that he plead guilty to all five counts, and that he’d served some amount of time.”
“While most people think it’s not enough, for me, it ensured that he would spend time behind bars,” she said.
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she → release → bars
Court records show that Morris plans to serve his probation at his $1.5 million lakefront home in Palo Pinto County in Texas.
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Morris → show → Texas
While serving probation, he is required to report his whereabouts to a probation officer.
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he → serve → officer
He is also prohibited from drinking alcohol, carrying a gun or associating with other convicted felons.
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He → prohibit → felons
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