Former Rock Hill Officer Convicted on 18 Child Pornography Charges

Daniel Paul Shealy, a former Rock Hill police detective and school resource officer, was convicted on 18 federal counts of possessing and distributing child sexual abuse material following a trial in Columbia, South Carolina. Investigators traced explicit videos flagged on the messaging app Kik to Shealy's account, which he admitted operating during the trial. Law enforcement recovered 126 explicit videos involving prepubescent minors from Shealy's phone and Kik account, which he accessed using his badge number and thumbprint. Shealy was a member of more than 40 private Kik groups dedicated to trading child sexual abuse content, including disturbing material referencing minors and incest. He claimed he never reported the videos due to concerns about privacy and not knowing how to report them. Shealy faces 5 to 20 years in federal prison, potential fines, restitution, lifetime supervision, and sex offender registration following sentencing.