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by WILL FOLKS
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Self-styled “Christian singer, songwriter and worship leader” Richard Channing “Chan” Shealy of Lexington, South Carolina is facing twenty (20) additional charges in connection with an ongoing state investigation into child pornography (also known as child sexual abuse materials, or “CSAM”).
Shealy, 53, is the husband of former Lexington County school district one vice chair Beth Shealy.
Beth Shealy resigned her seat on the board shortly after her husband’s arrest, news of which was first reported by FITSNews. As noted in our original reporting, materials allegedly found in Chan Shealy’s possession “contained depictions of horrific sexual assaults against minor children.”
His alleged role in the creation of those materials is now coming into clearer focus.
Chan Shealy was originally charged with three counts of second degree sexual exploitation of a minor, 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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According to a news release from the office of S.C. attorney general Alan Wilson – whose Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) unit is leading this investigation – Shealy has subsequently been charged with two (2) counts of first degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor and four (4) counts of committing a lewd act upon a child. He has further been charged with ten (10) new first degree sexual exploitation of a minor charges and four (4) new counts of second degree sexual exploitation of minor.
“The new charges allege that Shealy possessed, distributed, and produced CSAM, including alleged acts of sexual assault on a minor,” Wilson’s office noted.
Shealy faces up to twenty (30) years in prison per count on the criminal sexual conduct charges and up to fifteen (15) years in prison per count on the four lewd act charges – as well as up to twenty (20) years in prison on each of the first degree sexual exploitation charges.
In other words, he could easily end up spending the rest of his life behind bars – although regular members of our audience will recall we have championed much harsher punishments for individuals who perpetrate such crimes.
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Shealy will remain detained as his case makes its way through the Palmetto State’s judicial system, having been denied bond on these charges last Friday (May 1, 2026) by Lexington County magistrate Gary Reinhart.
As we noted in our original report, an investigator in Wilson’s office initiated the case against Shealy “after seeing files shared online.” At that point, a referral was made to the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department (LCSD) – which made the arrest. The referral couldn’t have come soon enough, either, as Shealy’s work in evangelical circles frequently placed him in contact with young people. Just last fall, he spoke to a Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) gathering at Gilbert High School, which is in the school district his wife used to oversee.
“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,” Shealy wrote last fall on his Facebook page following that visit.
If the allegations against him are true, Shealy had a desire to “use young people” for his own depraved purposes.
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.
Keep it tuned to FITSNews as we keep our audience updated on the status of this case as it moves forward…
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EDITOR’S NOTE…
Regarding the terminology used for the charges discussed in this article, we reference both “child porn” and “child sex abuse materials,” or “CSAM.” As Wilson’s office noted in its release, CSAM is “a more accurate reflection of the material involved in these heinous and abusive crimes,” as the term pornography “can imply the child was a willing participant.” Federal officials still use the term “child pornography,” which is the current statutory definition in the federal system.
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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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2 comments
Usual suspects. Wonder who he voted for.
wow just wow