Photo by Jeremy Bishop on Unsplash

“We are not to simply bandage the wounds of victims beneath the wheels of injustice, we are to drive a spoke into the wheel itself.” ― Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

Darell Lucus has evidence that  Robert Morris is under investigation for the molestation of Cindy Cleminshire.

The abuse advocate community is diverse in interest and background. I have bumped into Darrell on occasion when we intersect on various stories and know him to be committed to exposing abuse. He recently started writing on Substack and bills himself as Loud, LIberal, Christian. Unbeknownst to me, he did a deep dive into something a few of us had heard about for months. He claims that Robert Morris is under investigation by “Oklahoma State Attorney General Gentner Drummond” and offered his thoughts.

He recalls Tra Willibanks, the elder at Gateway, who stated:

He then dropped the biggest bombshell of all—Gateway was cooperating with a criminal investigation, albeit one that was not focused on anyone currently associated with Gateway.

Some of us were aware that Robert Morris was under criminal investigation. We wondered how this could be since the Statutes of Limiations was well over. So we wondered if there were some things in the law that we didn’t know. Lucas remarked:

After all, Cindy’s lawyer, Boz Tchividijian—known for his yeoman’s work in advocating for those who have experienced abuse in the church—indicated earlier this year that the statutes of limitations for any misdeeds on Morris’ part in Oklahoma and Texas had long since run out.

Lucus didn’t just wonder. He did the leg work and discovered a possible reason why Drummond was investigating. Drummond used to be Cleminshire’s lawyer!

This is probably personal for Drummond, as he was Cindy’s lawyer in 2007, when she tried to send Morris the bill for decades of counseling.

Lucus said something that interested TWW at this exact moment. I’ll get back to this shortly.

During these talks, Morris, through his lawyer, made a patently insulting assertion—Cindy brought this ordeal on herself when she “initiated inappropriate behavior by coming into my client’s room and getting into bed with him.” In other words, textbook victim-blaming—one of the biggest reasons why so many survivors, especially those of Cindy’s generation, don’t come forward for years, if at all.

…under Oklahoma law, any case of rape committed by a person who is 18 or older upon a person 14 or younger is first-degree rape, punishable by anywhere from five years to life in prison. His actions also arguably meet the definition of child sexual abuse, since Morris was staying in Cindy’s home at the time and was therefore “responsible for (her) health, safety and welfare.” That carries a penalty of anywhere from a year to life in prison.

…To my non-lawyer’s mind, Morris faces substantial upward departure from sentencing guidelines. He was a minister, and groomed Cindy before abusing her multiple times over five-and-a-half years.

He further discovered:

If that wasn’t enough, as of 2023, there was no statute of limitations for first-degree rape or sexual assault in Oklahoma. Nor was there a statute of limitations for child sexual abuse when the victim is 16 years old or younger. Further changes in 2024 abolished the statute of limitations for rape if the victim was a child at the time of the offense, regardless of degree. Previously, a victim of child sexual abuse in Oklahoma had to come forward by his or her 45th birthday.

The following statement regarding Jim Bakker caused me to start messaging some folks.

Due to recent changes in Oklahoma law, Morris potentially faces the most severe legal hurt that any minister of his stature has faced since Jim Bakker was racked up on fraud and conspiracy charges almost four decades ago.

Some of the victims of Pastor Joe Campbell were in Oklahoma at the time of their abuse. (Warning: Some graphic description.)

Please pay attention to Kerri’s story in Pastor Joe Campbell as well as His Wife Becky, Are Further Credibly Accused of Sexual Abuse By Three More Victims: Kerri, Kim, and Sarah and Cheryl’s story in Cheryl Almond Waited Years to Accuse Pastor Joe Campbell of Sexually Abusing Her When She Was 14. Could There Be Many More Victims?

I am repeating a couple of stories here. The other stories may fall under Missouri law, and one other story did not involve sexual contact. However, all the stories will be examined in light of the laws.

Kerri:

Kerri’s story: Joe sexually penetrated her. She cried, “It hurt. You’re too big.”

This happened at Eastland AG in Oklahoma.

In the summer between 4^th and 5^th grade, Joe talked to Kerri in the car on the way to a church campground. His questions made her feel uncomfortable because they were “embarrassing.” They were questions she was never asked before and hardly understand, later understanding that Joe was “grooming her”. Soon after, he made his first physical move. Kerri was at the church helping to prepare for an event. Joe asked her to go with him to his house to get something. When they got there, he tried to touch her intimately. She ran into the hall closet, and he came in after her. He said he had kissed other girls in church to make her feel more at ease. This became a regular occurrence with Kerri. Joe molested her at the church, in the car, and at his home. This went on for approximately 3 years.

His molestation included exploring with his tongue and fingers and, finally, full penetration. The rape occurred during a lock-in at his home in his garage. While other girls were locked outside of the garage, they were under the impression that Joe and Kerri were working on a haunted house.

Kerri described that she kept saying,

“You’re too big, it hurts so bad, I’m too small.”

He responded by passing her a washcloth and sending her to the bathroom. He told her to clean herself off and said, “There was stuff there that shouldn’t be there.”

The head pastor, JW Ellsworth, apparently told Joe to leave the church years earlier, knowing of his previous reported transgressions. Inexplicably, within a couple of years, he brought Joe back to the church to begin the cycle again. Kerri was a part of the 2^nd round. When she tried to report it to the youth minister, Bill Snyder, he made her feel like she was not telling the truth and shamed her. After Ellsworth and Snyder left the church. Kerri’s friend DeWana exposed the story, and Pastor Dave Torgerson and Larry Kloefkorn believed her story.

Kerri’s awful trial by the AG: What did his penis look like?

(I misspelled Kerri’s name in my first post as Carrie. I have corrected this.)

Kerri went to the AOG in Springfield to testify about what happened. Approximately 30 men were sitting around a U-shaped table. Joe and Becky Campbell, along with Becky’s father, were present. The AOG ministers from the district that were at the table questioning Kerri basically called her a liar because she was unable to describe his penis or his naked body.

I will be communicating with the AOG once I write the final story. This experience, along with others in the church community who blamed her for hurting Joe, caused her to contemplate suicide at the age of 16 and again in her 30s.

Cheryl

Joe abused Cheryl. She believes that Becky knew about it. (Warning: Graphic description of sexual abuse.)

Cheryl helped out in the children’s program; in that capacity, she got to know Joe. It started with what appears to be grooming. For example, when he asked her to help, he would touch or hold her hand for a minute. At other times, he would put his hand around her waist. Things escalated during a car ride. Becky and Joe were in the front seat. Joe asked her to sit up front between them while placing her legs around the gear shift. As he shifted the gears, his hand and arm were between her legs. She noticed that Becky had what appeared to be a smirk on her face. She believes that Becky knew about Joe and thrived on these actions.

Then, the abuse escalated. He would get her alone and begin to fondle her. He put his hands down her panties and used his fingers to penetrate her digitally and did the same thing with his tongue.

Darell Lucus helped me to know the steps we need to take.

TWW has talked with the people in those stories and will take some steps to get these credible stories to the correct authorities. Darrell doesn’t know how his advocacy and search for truth may help some other victims.

As for Lucus’s Jim Bakker comment quotes above… Do you remember who Jim Bakker’s Pastor of Morningside Church is? Yep, Joe Campbell.

Thanks and props go out to Lucus. I will keep you informed as things progress.