HICKORY, N.C. — Editor's note: This story discusses alleged sexual crimes against children. Reader discretion is advised.

A 64-year-old Hickory man was sentenced to more than 10 years in federal prison on Friday, Nov. 13, 2025, for possession of child sexual abuse material, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of North Carolina announced.

U.S. District Judge Kenneth D. Bell sentenced Luke Andrew Hemond to 10 years and one month in prison and ordered him to serve lifetime court supervision following his release.

According to court documents and the sentencing hearing, Hemond was on probation for a prior conviction of attempted sexual assault while armed in Arizona when North Carolina probation officers and law enforcement searched his residence on March 20, 2024, to ensure

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