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by WILL FOLKS
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The husband of the sitting vice chair of Lexington County school district one – a district serving nearly 28,000 students in the Midlands region of South Carolina – was arrested early Thursday morning (March 26, 2026) and charged with multiple child sex abuse material (CSAM) charges.
Richard Channing “Chan” Shealy, 53, of Lexington, S.C. was arrested by agents working on behalf of attorney general Alan Wilson‘s Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task force.
The self-styled “Christian singer, songwriter and worship leader” is facing thirteen counts involving sexually explicit material involving minor children.
According to a news release from Wilson’s office, he was charged with three counts of second degree sexual exploitation of a minor (§16-15-405), a felony punishable by up to ten (10) years in prison and ten counts of third degree sexual exploitation of a minor, also a felony offense punishable by up to ten (10) years on each count.
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An investigator in Wilson’s office “initiated the case after seeing files shared online,” the release added. At that point, a referral was made to the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department (LCSD) – which made the arrest.
Investigators alleged that Shealy “distributed and possessed files of child sexual abuse material.”
Shealy’s work in evangelical circles has often placed him in contact with young people. Just last fall, he spoke to a Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) gathering at Gilbert High School.
“If God could use a young person like Mary to bring His Son into the world, that tells me He has a great desire to use young people today too,” he wrote last fall on his Facebook page following the visit to Gilbert High, which is a school in the district where his wife serves on the board.
Shealy’s wife, Beth Shealy, is the elected vice chair of Lexington one. The top vote-getter in the 2022 election, she is currently in her first term on the school board.
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Beth Shealy took to social media in the aftermath of her husband’s arrest, stating “BIG prayers needed.”
“That what Satan would use to destroy, God would use to glorify himself,” Beth Shealy wrote.
Richard Shealy is currently detained at the Lexington County detention center. He will appear before a magistrate in Lexington County at 3:00 p.m. EST on Thursday afternoon for a hearing on his bond.
As with anyone accused of committing any crime, Shealy is considered innocent until proven guilty by our criminal justice system – or until such time as he may wish to enter some form of allocution in connection with a plea agreement with prosecutors related to any of the charges filed against him.
This is a developing story… please check back for updates.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and eight children.
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3 comments
According to his Facebook page and website, he is a Christian worship leader and musician. Because of course he is.
It would appear that he is not trans, gay, or an undocumented, immigrant. If the South Carolina legislature wants to take a hard stand on people harming the community, maybe they should worry about guys like this.
THE USUAL SUSPECTS! Probably MAGA as well… I am curious what his wife thinks other than :”biG pRaYerS nEEdeD”
How long before a pardon and a cabinet position?