Evangelist Matt Pitt has been found not guilty of impersonating a law enforcement officer.

"God just showed up," Pitt said shortly after the verdict. "I'm thankful to God."

The trial began on Monday. Deputy District Attorneys Will McComb and Shawn Allen and defense attorney Carmella Penn gave closing arguments Wednesday afternoon. The jury verdict came on Thursday morning.

"I have nothing but nice things to say about the law enforcement," Pitt said. "I'm here to reach kids. I know they do that too. They risk their lives everyday. They do their job. I'm just so grateful right now to be free. I'm an innocent man. It has been proven and I've been waiting for this day for a long time."

The case began in June 2013 when Pitt allegedly showed a badge and claimed to be with the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department as he picked up a gun that had been left in the woods. Pitt was arrested on Aug. 20, 2013, after running from police and tumbling off an embankment. "It has been the craziest couple of years," Pitt said.

Pitt said he plans to continue his youth ministry, The Basement, which at one time was one of the largest youth ministries in the country. "I love reaching youth; I love reaching kids," he said.

The verdict was important to clear his name, he said. "Kids might not trust me," he said. "They've got to know I'm truly innocent."

In 2012, in Shelby County, Pitt pleaded guilty when he was charged with impersonating an officer after Calera Police pulled him over for flashing blue lights on Interstate 65.

After Pitt's arrest in Jefferson County in 2013, a Shelby County judge revoked his probation from the first case and Pitt spent eight months in jail, being released on Palm Sunday 2014.

Pitt continues to lead the youth ministry, The Basement, which meets weekly at a warehouse in Roebuck. That will continue, he said.

"We're going to reach kids," he said. "We're going to reach youth. We're going to do what we do."

He started the ministry in the basement of his home in Huffman and it grew into one of the largest youth ministries in the country, drawing crowds of 7,000 or more and leading to a national TV program for Pitt.

The charge Pitt was acquitted of is a class C felony, which carries a prison sentence of no less than one year and one day and no more than 10 years if a defendant is found guilty.

Asked if he planned to use his honorary deputy badge again, Pitt said, "I don't think that will ever happen."