The founder of the ubiquitous “Thank You Jesus” sign has been accused of sexually exploiting a minor.
Lucas Hunt, 25, from Asheboro, North Carolina, was arrested Tuesday and charged with one count of sexual exploitation of a minor in the second degree, the Randolph County Sheriff’s office has said.
He was transported to the Randolph County jail before being released after posting a $75,000 bond, jail records show.
Hunt made his first court appearance on Wednesday, where the defendant told the judge he understood the charges and plans to hire an attorney, according to CBS17. He is expected back in court on March 19 with the investigation ongoing.
The defendant willingly received a video of two underage girls engaged in an explicit act, according to his arrest warrant.
The Invictus Task Force, a unit of local county and federal lawmakers that examines internet crimes against children, began its investigation into Hunt last month after he was identified as a suspect following a cyber tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the sheriff’s office said.
Connie Frazier, the president of the Thank You Jesus Mission who co-created the original design for the signs, refused to comment on Hunt’s charges but said he “blessed” Christians with his message.
“Although we cannot comment on the criminal charges brought against Lucas Hunt. We can share that he has blessed thousands of people through the Thank You Jesus signs,” Frazier said in a statement.
The Independent has contacted Thank You Jesus Mission for more information.
In 2016, 16-year-old Hunt and Frazier co-founded the Thank You Jesus Mission, a non-profit designed to donate proceeds from the signs to local Christian organizations.
Only Frazier’s name is mentioned in the “How it All Started” section of the Thank You Jesus Signs website which was updated 16 hours ago, at the time of writing.
Two years prior, Hunt started erecting “Jesus is the reason for the season” signs along the road of his local community. The following summer in 2015, he became a camp counselor and mentored a group of 12 children throughout the week.
“I read the Bible to them and led them throughout the week. I saw them grow,” Hunt told the Seven Lake Insider in April 2017.
Frazier helped refine the signs messaging around Easter in 2016 to read “Thank You Jesus.”
Hunt decided to expand the TYJ range to sell t-shirts, among other merchandise.
The store now sells signs, rubber wristbands, magnets and garden flags with the slogan.
Today, more than 250,000 signs – which start at $10 – have been sold, according to its website.
