NC man behind ‘Thank You Jesus’ signs charged with felony child sex exploitation
.jpg "Lucas Hunt, who started the Thank You Jesus sign campaign, is charged with felony sex exploitation of a minor")
The 25-year-old man who launched the nationwide “Thank You Jesus” yard sign campaign has been charged with a felony sex offense, accused by sheriff’s deputies of possessing child pornography.
Lucas Timothy Hunt of Asheboro was released from Randolph County jail after posting a $75,000 bond Tuesday, having been charged with second-degree sex exploitation of a minor, according to his arrest warrant.
Sheriff’s deputies said in the warrant that Hunt received materials depicting two pubescent females engaged in a sex act. His next court appearance is set for March 19 in Asheboro.
As a teen, Hunt gained wide recognition starting in 2016 after leading an effort to sell yellow yard signs with “Thank You Jesus” written in a childlike scrawl.
By 2017, sales had topped 100,000 and he had shifted from selling them out of his rural church to either online or out of his mother’s van, according to The News & Record of Greensboro.
“It was just about sharing Jesus,” he told the News & Record, and also, “I wanted to be able to say that when God needed somebody, I was him.”
The “Thank You Jesus” movement continues its online sales, now at more than 250,000 signs nationwide, according to the website.
This story was originally published February 27, 2025 at 10:25 AM with the headline "NC man behind ‘Thank You Jesus’ signs charged with felony child sex exploitation."