Ex Chick-fil-A store franchisee admits sex act with Fort Mill boy, but no prison
The former owner of a South Carolina Chick-fil-A restaurant has avoided prison after admitting to a sex act involving a boy in Fort Mill.
Lafe Hunter Thompson, 58, who had been the franchisee of the restaurant in Lancaster, pleaded guilty Monday to first-degree assault and battery in York County criminal court. Fort Mill police originally charged him in January 2024 with criminal sexual conduct with a minor.
Visiting Judge Eugene Griffith agreed to a plea deal between prosecutors and Thompson’s lawyer for a recommended sentence of four years probation with a suspended four-year prison sentence. The plea includes a permanent restraining order against Thompson from having any contact with the victim.
Prosecutor: Thompson fled after caught in act
Thompson was found during the sex act at the Fort Mill home of the teen’s parents, then ran out of the house, prosecutor Hannah Woods told Griffith. A police investigation showed the 14-year-old met Thompson online through an adults-only dating website, Woods said in court. The police investigation showed the victim claimed to be over 18, Woods said.
Thompson not knowing the victim’s age is not a legal defense, Woods said. The plea means the victim does not have to go through a trial and testify, Woods told Griffith. A police review of Thompson’s phone showed no other contact with minors, Woods said.
Woods told Griffith the plea agreement is “an appropriate resolution to the case.”
The Herald does not identify child sex victims.
Defense: Thompson “lost everything”
Thompson had operated the Lancaster Chick-fil-A since 2004 and was a former member of the board of directors for the Lancaster County Chamber of Commerce , according to his LinkedIn profile at the time police charged him.
Chick-fil-A told The Herald after Thompson’s arrest he was the independent franchise owner at the time but would step away from the business .
His lawyer, Zac Fry of Rock Hill, told the judge that Thompson was “very successful” as the owner/operator of the Chick-fil-A franchise before his arrest.
“However, after this incident, of course he lost everything,” Fry said. “He is actually in bankruptcy proceedings right now.”
Thompson, formerly of Lancaster, had been free on $20,000 bail since two days after his arrest.
This story was originally published January 5, 2026 at 1:55 PM.
