ROCK HILL, S.C. — A federal grand jury has returned an 18-count indictment charging a former Rock Hill Police Department officer with charges related to child pornography.
Daniel Paul Shealy, 35, of Rock Hill, has been charged with 12 counts of distributing child sexual abuse materials and six counts of receiving child sexual abuse materials.
The Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force informed the police department on Sept. 28 that it was investigating claims Shealy had possessed and distributed images of child pornography over the internet.
The department said in a statement that the task force briefed Rock Hill's police chief about the allegations leading to an internal investigation and the immediate suspension of Shealy. The Rock Hill Police Department told WCNC Charlotte earlier this year there was no indication that any of the alleged actions happened while Shealy was on duty.
However in a statement released Wednesday by the United States Attorney's Office officials alleged, "Shealy created and operated an account on a social media platform and that he used a cellular device recovered from his department-issued patrol car, both to distribute and receive child sex abuse materials."
The department hired Shealy in 2011. In his time with the department, he had served as a school resource officer.
In 2022, Shealy received the Optimist Club of Rock Hill Respect for Law Award, according to a Facebook post by the South Carolina Police Benevolent Association.
Each count charged carries a mandatory minimum of five years in federal prison and a maximum of 20 years in federal prison., according to the U.S. Justice Department. Shealy also faces up to lifetime federal supervision following any other penalty, registration as a sex offender, and monetary penalties.