Luke Andrew Hemond, Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material, North Carolina 2025

A disturbing discovery in a North Carolina home has led to a serious sentence for a sex offender. Luke Andrew Hemond, 64, of Hickory, N.C., has been sentenced to 121 months in prison for possession of child sexual abuse material, announced U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson for the Western District of North Carolina.

The case began on March 20, 2024, when North Carolina probation officers and law enforcement conducted a search of Hemond's residence to ensure compliance with his probation conditions and sex offender registry laws. During the search, law enforcement located an SD card in Hemond's bedroom that contained images depicting the sexual assault of minors.

A forensic review of the devices revealed that Hemond possessed thousands of images depicting children that were nude, children being sexually abused, and at least one image of child bondage. On May 27, 2025, Hemond pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography that involved a prepubescent minor and a minor who had not attained 12 years of age.

Hemond is currently in federal custody and will be transferred to the custody of the federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility. In addition to the prison term imposed, U.S. District Judge Kenneth D. Bell ordered Hemond to serve a lifetime under court supervision.

The investigation into the case was a collaborative effort involving Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Marshals Service, the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction's Division of Community Supervision, the Catawba County Sheriff's Office, the Hickory Police Department, and the Long View Police Department.

This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. The initiative aims to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdnc/pr/sex-offender-probation-sentenced-over-10-years-possession-child-sexual-abuse-material