Federal Trial Opens for Ex-Cop Accused Of Child Exploitation

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Within the hallowed walls of a federal courtroom, a team of jurors will decide over the next few days whether a disgraced former police officer should spend decades behind bars for sending and receiving child sexual abuse material (CSAM) — a.k.a. child porn – or walk free as the result of a catastrophic mistake.

Daniel Paul Shealy, 35, a former detective and school resource officer with the Rock Hill Police Department (RHPD), faces 18 federal charges related to CSAM: 11 counts of distribution, six counts of receipt, and one count of attempted receipt.

Each count against Shealy carries a mandatory minimum of five years and a maximum of 20 years in federal prison. The father of several children, Shealy also faces a lifetime of federal supervision and mandatory sex offender registration following any sentence.

In a high-stakes trial that began Monday, May 5, 2025, Shealy appeared visibly older than in past law enforcement photos — seated between his attorney and paralegal at the defense table inside the Matthew J. Perry, Jr. Courthouse.

“There is child pornography in these binders,” assistant U.S. Attorney Elliott B. Daniels told the court during early disputes over which pieces of evidence would be admitted at trial.

As with all federal proceedings, no cameras or electronic devices are permitted inside the courtroom.

WARNING: This report contains graphic descriptions of child sexual abuse content.

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During jury selection, U.S. District Judge Joseph F. Anderson Jr. led a careful and emotionally charged screening process, asking whether prospective jurors — or anyone close to them — had ever been involved in cases of sexual abuse, assault or child exploitation.

In one round of questioning, five prospective jurors stood when asked if they or someone close to them had ever been accused of such offenses; in another, eight rose when asked if they had experienced — or knew someone affected by — child sexual abuse or child pornography.

None of the jurors who stood for those questions were ultimately selected. A panel of twelve jurors and several alternates was formally sworn in late Monday afternoon, marking the official start of proceedings.

“This is a case about a cop,” Daniels said during his opening remarks. “This is a case about accountability.”

Daniels told jurors Shealy sent and received child pornography on Kik — a freeware messaging app once marketed to teenagers, now widely known as a hub for sexually explicit content (including material involving child exploitation).

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Operating under the screen name “orgasmd0nor,” Shealy allegedly joined several Kik groups explicitly labeled with references to teens and incest, where members routinely exchanged CSAM that was later linked to his account.

Descriptions of content he saved — including a toddler beside adults donning Mardi Gras masks, a young boy being straddled to a couch, and a prepubescent girl being assaulted — prompted noticeable discomfort among the jury and courtroom.

While the aforementioned videos will not be played in open court, jurors are expected to review the thumbnails, audio, and metadata.

Following the government’s explicit description of CSAM content, Shealy’s attorney — federal public defender Jeremy Thompson — urged jurors to separate emotion from evidence.

“A cop — a police officer — that was [Shealy’s] dream,” Thompson said during his opening remarks. “Crimes of lust are difficult… difficult to talk about. Sex is generally an uncomfortable topic… I’m sorry we have to talk about this.”

While Thompson acknowledged that CSAM was linked to Shealy’s Kik account, he insisted the former officer never sought it, saved it or even knew it was on his device. According to the defense, the files were automatically cached through Kik’s group messaging system — a feature that stores media shared by others in a hidden data folder inaccessible to users.

Thompson argued that Shealy used Kik to share images of his wife — not to seek out or engage with illegal material. He further noted that multiple devices belonging to Shealy were examined, and that no CSAM was found on any of them — only, in his words, “many, many, many” personal images of Shealy’s wife.

“Just because others share child pornography doesn’t mean he did,” Thompson said, pushing back against the government’s claims and arguing that any CSAM linked to Shealy’s account was saved or shared by accident. “It is an honor and a privilege to represent this police officer.”

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With proceedings starting late and most of the day consumed by pretrial disputes and jury selection, prosecutors squeezed in their first witness just before adjournment: Heather Girton, a program specialist with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).

Girton, who works with the nonprofit’s CyberTipline unit, walked jurors through the reporting process that flagged Shealy’s Kik account — beginning with a detailed report, displayed on courtroom monitors, that was submitted by Kik and routed through NCMEC’s internal system.

In Shealy’s case, Girton said Kik flagged four files linked to the username “orgasmd0nor.” Technical data associated with those files — including IP addresses — ultimately traced back to Rock Hill, South Carolina, and to the home where Shealy lived with his wife and children.

During a brief cross-examination, Girton confirmed NCMEC does not conduct investigations or determine whether a crime occurred. Instead, the nonprofit serves as a clearinghouse — processing tips and forwarding them to the appropriate law enforcement agencies.

Day one of the trial ended with jurors being dismissed shortly after Girton’s testimony. The federal trial of Shealy is expected to last between three to four days.

Reports of online child exploitation can be submitted to NCMEC’s CyberTipline.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…

Andrew Fancher is a Lone Star Emmy award-winning journalist from Dallas, Texas. Cut from a bloodline of outlaws and lawmen alike, he was the first of his family to graduate college which was accomplished with honors. Got a story idea or news tip for Andy? Email him directly and connect with him socially across Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

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