An arrest warrant affidavit out of Howard County in Indiana alleges that a former Gateway Church group leader molested three girls all under the age of 11.
A warrant for Scott Gerber’s arrest was obtained on April 26, 2023. The 65-year-old faces two counts of molesting a child under the age of 15, Howard County court records show.
Gerber was a group leader at the Gateway Church in Frisco , Texas, two former members — Anita and Nicole Ishee — told the Star-Telegram in June. He served on the church’s altar and prophetic teams, according to Anita and Nicole Ishee.
A Howard County arrest warrant obtained by the Star-Telegram details three different occasions where Gerber allegedly molested three young children.
According to a victim’s account, Gerber was staying at a family member’s house in Kokoma, Indiana, on Feb. 10, 2023. On or around that day, Gerber was sitting in the living room when he asked one of the victims to sit on his lap. The victim and Gerber were alone when he molested the child, the warrant says.
He had his other arm wrapped around the child so she could not get up, the warrant states. The child grabbed Gerber’s arm to get off his lap and told family members of the abuse.
In interviews with Howard County Sheriff’s deputies, two other children reported that in 2020, Gerber also had them sit on his lap when he put his hands inside of their clothing. They both told Gerber to stop, but he would not listen, according to the warrant.
He told both of those children to be quiet and to not tell anyone about him touching them, authorities wrote in the warrant. One of those children said she was molested by Gerber eight times, up until she was 10 years old.
Another child said she was molested by Gerber twice in one night at a home, where there were other children around him, the warrant says.
According to screenshots of text messages obtained by authorities, a family member of Gerber approached him about the alleged molestations.
“I deserve for you and your family to never consider me again,” said Gerber in a text. He also sent a message that reads, “No excuses shame and fear gripped me,” according to the warrant.
A Gateway spokesperson told the Star-Telegram that Gerber was a member, but was never employed with the megachurch.
“Scott did attend Gateway Church and when we learned he was under investigation in another state, we asked him not to return until the allegations were investigated and his name was cleared,” said a Gateway spokesperson in a statement.
A jury trial for Gerber is scheduled for Oct. 4, 2024. Gerber’s arrest came about four months before former senior pastor and Gateway founder, Robert Morris , resigned from his position in late June after admitting he sexually abused Cindy Clemishire, starting when she was 12, in the 1980s and ‘90s in Oklahoma and Texas. He was 20 when the abuse began, according to Clemishire, who is now in her 50s.
Morris’ resignation from the church was the first in a recent series of North Texas church leaders stepping down from their positions.
Tony Cammarota, pastor of the Stonebriar Community Church in Frisco, was fired July 7 when he confessed to church leaders of a “moral failure,” which was not specified.
Robert Morris’ son, James Morris , was set to take his father’s role of senior pastor in 2025 at the Southlake Gateway Church, but stepped down about a month later. The decision was made collectively by church staff and James Morris, according to a statement.
Former lead pastor at Cross Timbers Church, Josiah Anthony , was asked to resign in late July due to inappropriate contact with women in the church, church elders announced.
Kemtal Glasgow’s is the latest in the string of resignations. The former campus pastor for Gateway was let go due to a “moral issue,” the church said in a statement in August.
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