Week of Sep 28–Oct 4, 2025

Credible reports and official filings only. Allegations remain allegations unless and until proven in court.

At a Glance

Gateway Church founder Robert Morris pleads guilty in Oklahoma; must register as a sex offender.
Former SC lawmaker RJ May pleads guilty to five federal CSAM counts; sentencing pending.
Raleigh police officer arrested and fired over alleged on-duty sex offense; SBI investigating.
NJ high-school teacher charged with sexual assault and official misconduct involving a student.

We tag registry status to document how often new cases involve people not previously registered—evidence that prevention requires more than public registries.

New Arrests & Charges

🚓 Tremale Stephon Cogdell— Raleigh Police Department officerOct 3, 2025

Jurisdiction: Raleigh, NCArrested / ChargedRegistry: No prior registration noted

Charged with sexual misconduct of a person in custody, obstruction of justice, and willful neglect; department says he was terminated; SBI involved.

🔗 WRAL detailed report 🔗 ABC11 (WTVD) update

🏫 William Arnold— Pequannock High School teacherSep 30, 2025

Jurisdiction: Morris County, NJArrested / ChargedRegistry: No prior registration noted

Charged with aggravated sexual assault, sexual assault, official misconduct, endangering the welfare of a child, and criminal sexual contact.

🔗 Morris County Prosecutor release 🔗 WRNJ local report

Pleas & Case Updates

⛪ Robert Preston (Robert) Morris— Founder, Gateway Church (TX); prominent evangelical leaderOct 2–3, 2025

Jurisdiction: Osage County, OKConvictedRegistry: Previously not a registrant; registration now required

Pleads guilty to five counts of lewd or indecent acts with a child (1980s conduct). Receives a 10-year sentence with six months in jail, remainder suspended/probated, $250k restitution, and mandatory sex-offender registration.

🔗 Oklahoma AG press release 🔗 CBS Texas coverage 🔗 People.com write-up

🏛️ RJ May (Robert John May III)— Former South Carolina state representativeSep 29, 2025

Jurisdiction: Federal (District of South Carolina)Plea / case updateRegistry: No prior registration noted

Pleads guilty to five counts of distributing child sexual abuse material (CSAM); per agreement, five additional counts to be dismissed at sentencing.

🔗 AP (via WTOP)🔗 USAO-SC indictment background

⚠️ High-Severity Non-Gatekeeper Cases

These cases do not involve public-trust roles (e.g., officials, educators, clergy, law enforcement) but are included due to exceptional severity or public interest. We track them separately to keep the core list focused.

🏢 Oscar Merlo Jr.— San Antonio nightclub owner (private sector)Oct 3–4, 2025

Jurisdiction: San Antonio, TX (Bexar County)Arrested / ChargedRegistry: No prior registration noted

Affidavits allege he employed a 14-year-old at his nightclub using a fake ID, paid her for VIP services, and sexually assaulted her at the club and his residence. Booked into Bexar County Jail; bond set at $200,000.

🔗 San Antonio Express-News report 🔗 KSAT detailed write-up

Watchlist

RJ May: sentencing date/posting on PACER; check for victim impact statements and guideline range.
Robert Morris: custody reporting for 6-month jail term; confirm formal registry listing post-processing.
Raleigh PD case (Cogdell): first appearance date; SBI filings and body-cam references.
NJ teacher case (Arnold): detention hearing outcome; school district actions.
San Antonio case (Merlo): added charges, TABC/permit implications; any affidavits unsealed.

Disclaimer

All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law. Registry status reflects what’s publicly reported in official documents or mainstream coverage; absence of mention is not definitive.