Rock Hill police officer terminated; charges filed in child pornography case
A Rock Hill Police Department officer has been terminated and criminally charged in connection with a South Carolina case involving internet child pornography, according to arrest warrants obtained by The Herald and a written statement issued Friday by that department.
The statement and arrest warrants by the York County Sheriff’s Office identify officer Daniel Paul Shealy as the person who was terminated and charged.
Shealy was arrested and charged Thursday, officials said.
Shealy is charged with three counts of second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor, according to the arrest warrants. Shealy, of Rock Hill, allegedly used KIK messenger to share three videos that show minors involved in sexual activity, the warrants state.
The warrants state the videos were shared in June.
Rock Hill chief issues statement
Rock Hill police and Chief Chris Watts were told about the investigation around 1 p.m. Thursday, the statement said.
In a written statement issued Friday afternoon, Watts said the department remains committed to protecting public safety.
Here is Watts’ full statement:
“Our community trusts its police department to hold itself to the highest standards of excellence and integrity.
“We are troubled by the details of the allegations against one of our former officers, as we pride ourselves on being trusted public servants.
“These allegations do not represent the Vision, Mission, and Values of our department or the law enforcement community. Based on this information, the officer was terminated from the Rock Hill Police Department effective September 28, 2023.
“Daniel Shealy was hired by the Rock Hill Police Department on January 3, 2011. He served on Patrol until August 7, 2017, when he transferred to being a School Resource Officer at South Pointe High School. His last assignment began on June 5, 2023, in the Criminal Investigations Division.
“We value the trust and support of the Rock Hill community, and I want to reassure you we are committed to protecting and serving our community.”
Defendant appointed a lawyer
Shealy was appointed a public defender by a York County magistrate judge in a first court appearance, according to online court records and B.J. Barrowclough, 16th Circuit Public Defender.
Barrowclough said Friday his office will conduct its own full investigation into the allegations and charges against Shealy.
“The fact that the defendant is a former Rock Hill police officer makes no difference to us,” Barrowclough told The Herald Friday morning. “We defend everyone to the fullest that we get appointed to.”
The investigation and first police statement
The investigation was done by the South Carolina Internet Crimes Against Children task force, Rock Hill police said in the statement. The task force is made up of law enforcement agencies statewide, including the York County Sheriff’s Office. The S.C. Attorney General’s Office administers the ICAC program and generally prosecutes cases brought by investigators.
Here is the complete original statement issued by The Rock Hill Police Department Friday morning:
“On September 28, 2023, at approximately 1 p.m., the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force informed the Rock Hill Police Department they were investigating allegations that Officer Daniel Shealy possessed and distributed images of child pornography over the internet. The ICAC Task Force Officers briefed Chief Watts regarding the allegations which led to an Internal Investigation and the immediate suspension of Shealy.
The ICAC Task Force Officers met with Shealy at Rock Hill Law Center to discuss the investigation. Shealy was then transported to the Moss Justice Center where the investigation continued resulting in criminal charges. The Internal Investigation led to the termination of Shealy. There is no indication any of the allegations occurred while Shealy was on duty.
Shealy was hired by the Rock Hill Police Department in January of 2011.”
What happens now?
Shealy has been charged but has not been convicted of any crime, records show.
The charges against Shealy are felonies that carry a sentence of two to 10 years in prison for a conviction, South Carolina law shows.
The law states that second-degree sexual exploitation is defined as when a person, “distributes, transports, exhibits, receives, sells, purchases, exchanges, or solicits material that contains a visual representation of a minor engaged in sexual activity or appearing in a state of sexually explicit nudity when a reasonable person would infer the purpose is sexual stimulation.”
According to Barrowclough and online court records, Shealy was released on a $30,000 personal recognizance bond after the court appearance.
This story was originally published September 29, 2023 at 9:06 AM.
