Ex-Rock Hill police officer indicted on new federal child pornography charges
A former police detective and Rock Hill school resource officer who already faces state child exploitation charges has been indicted on new, federal child pornography charges.
Daniel Paul Shealy, 35, faces 18 counts of receiving or sending videos that contained child sexual abuse material, according to an indictment in the U.S. District Court of South Carolina.
In a news release from the Department of Justice dated Wednesday, prosecutors said Shealy is indicted for distributing 13 child sex abuse videos and receiving several videos, all between June 2 and Sept. 17, 2023. The videos were between five seconds in length and one minute and 43 seconds in length, a news release said.
Shealy created and operated an account on a social media platform to distribute and receive pornography, the indictment alleges.
The charges carry from five to 20 years in prison on each count if he’s convicted, federal prosecutors said in a news release. Federal prosecutors at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Columbia otherwise declined comment on the case.
Shealy pleaded not guilty to the federal charges after he turned himself in Dec. 7, according to federal court records and his lawyer, Chris Wellborn of Rock Hill.
Wellborn declined comment on Shealy’s pending charges in both federal and state courts.
Shealy terminated in September after York County arrest
The Rock Hill Police Department said in a written statement in September that Daniel Paul Shealy worked at the department until he was terminated September 28.
Rock Hill Police spokesman Lt. Michael Chavis said Wednesday the department was advised of the federal indictments against Shealy, but declined to comment on the federal charges.
Shealy was hired by Rock Hill police in 2011. He worked patrol until 2017, when he transferred to a school resource officer position at South Pointe High School, Rock Hill police said in September. Shealy moved to the detective division on June 5, police said in September.
York County Sheriff’s Office deputies charged Shealy in September with three counts of sexual exploitation of a minor. Those charges are pending in South Carolina state criminal court.
After his arrest in York County on the state charges, Shealy was released on a personal recognizance bond on those pending charges, court records show.
The state charges are being prosecuted by the S.C. Attorney Generals Office, court records show.
No court dates have been set for either the state or federal charges.
This story was originally published December 13, 2023 at 5:53 PM.
