LEXINGTON (SC)
Cola Daily [Columbia, SC]
October 21, 2026
By Mercedes Dubberly
A federal grand jury in Columbia returned a nine-count indictment for a former Lexington pastor.
Richard Channing Shealy, 54, is charged with producing, distributing and possessing child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
The indictment alleges that in February 2026, Shealy shared CSAM files with an undercover Homeland Security Investigations agent using a peer-to-peer file sharing network.
After obtaining a search warrant, law enforcement searched Shealy’s home and said they uncovered more CSAM files on his computer, including images of a child that Shealy abused in 2004 and 2006.
Shealy was initially arrested on March 26, on 13 charges of second and third-degree sexual exploitation of a minor for distributing and possessing child sexual abuse material (CSAM), and later released on bond.
Then, in May, 20 additional charges were filed against him related to child sexual abuse.
Shealy faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison on four counts of producing child sexual abuse material and up to 20 years in federal prison on the distribution and possession charges as well as fines of up to $250,000 on each count.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice.
Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit Justice.gov/PSC.