I have known about convicted sex offender Sammy Nuckolls, the “peeping preacher,” for years and have heard stories of his alleged connection to Gateway Church. Sammy was a traveling Southern Baptist evangelist who was convicted in 2012 of video voyeurism in Mississippi.
There is documentation from an April 3, 2012 Star Telegram article that Sammy Nuckolls spoke to youth at Gateway Church about 6 times over a 3 year period. After his arrest in Mississippi, local law enforcement in Texas allegedly investigated and “found no evidence of improprieties.” Gateway church spokesman Lawrence Swicegood said, “because the church cleared Nuckolls of wrongdoing, church officials have not informed the congregation of the accusations.”
Swicegood also said that, “as large a church we are, as many students and camps as we have, we have very strict policies, and procedures and safeguards in place.” He added, “I’m not saying it can’t happen here, but any situation where students are involved we’re very careful that our policies and procedures are adhered to.”
Baptist News Global: Sam Nuckolls, a former youth camp pastor for LifeWay Christian Resources, was sentenced to 10 years in prison in 2012 for making secret videos of 13 women taking showers in his home in Olive Branch, Miss., between June 2007 and October 2011.
Sammy was sentenced to 10 years in prison, and in 2014, a judge upheld his sentence.
As to Nuckolls’ motives, the judge said: “Only God Almighty can see your heart. What you are in front of me for is the pain and agony you have inflicted on 13 women here in my jurisdiction.”
Chatham said after 46 years as a prosecutor, defense attorney and judge: “I find our judicial system is second only to the Holy Bible to bring repentance in this world. I don’t know how many people would repent if they hadn’t been caught.”https://baptistnews.com/article/peeping-preacher-s-prison-sentence-stands/
“You were in the ultimate position of trust,” he said. “You used the ministry to serve your own selfish sexual perversion.”
In 2015, a judge reversed 10 of the 13 counts due to challenges with statute of limitations. He remained in prison serving out his 10 year sentence. As of May 2024, Nuckolls is out of prison and living in Mississippi according to the state sex offender registry.
For over 3 decades, the founding pastor of Gateway Church, Robert Morris, has concealed the truth about his years long sexual abuse of a child in the 1980s. He resigned on June 18, 2024. There are questions now about who else on staff at Gateway knew the truth. Cindy Clemishire, the woman who came forward to publicly tell her story of abuse as a child by Robert Morris, has provided proof to NBC News that she did contact Robert Morris directly in 2005. At least one elder, Tom Lane, was also involved in email communication in 2005 with Cindy, after she contacted Robert Morris about the abuse.
We have seen a disturbing pattern of withholding important information from church members that involves a risk to kids.
Yesterday a group of people joined together outside Gateway Church in Southlake to stand in support of Cindy and all abuse survivors. Some are Gateway Church members that said they will not be returning to the church.
I met a mom and daughter, Anita and Nicole Nishee, who are members of the Frisco campus of Gateway Church. They shared with me their story of persecution from church leaders there after they reported a church volunteer leader in February 2023 for allegations of child sexual abuse. That man, Scott Gerber, was arrested 2 months after they reported him to police. His trial is set for October 2024 in Indiana. Anita and Nicole said the church leaders asked them to step down from their roles as volunteers in the youth ministry for 6 months.
Anita and Nicole said they will not be returning to Gateway Church.
In February 2023, Anita and Nicole learned the man had been accused of molesting children and they reported it to the Frisco campus leaders — only for the church to respond by telling pastors to not reveal the accusations, Anita told the Star-Telegram at Saturdays’ protest in Southlake. Church leaders from Gateway’s Frisco campus did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Anita and Nicole say they were verbally attacked by Gateway churchgoers when they tried to publicize the allegations. “They didn’t want anymore exposure,” Anita said. “They don’t want the truth.” “All we did was follow the law. It is very black and white. If you were told about a child, by law, you have to report it. That is literally all we did,” said Nicole, Anita’s daughter.
