Reporting the Truth.
Restoring the Church.
By Daniel Silliman

Richard Channing Shealy Richard Channing Shealy was indicted on federal charges of sexual exploitation of a child. He already faced 33 state charges in South Carolina. (Booking photo courtesy of Lexington County Sheriff’s Department)
A South Carolina worship minister who once released a “Prayer Warrior” album has been charged in federal court with producing child sexual abuse material, after allegedly photographing himself abusing a child under 11.

Richard Channing “Chan” Shealy, 54, kept digital files of his abuse for two decades and recently sent them to an undercover Homeland Security agent, according to federal prosecutors.

A federal grand jury indicted Shealy in Columbia, South Carolina, on Oct. 21 with sexual exploitation of a child and possession and distribution of child sexual abuse material.

Shealy faces a maximum possible sentence of 50 years in federal prison. He could also be fined up to $2.25 million, Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Matthews said in a statement last week.

The worship minister worked at several Baptist churches in South Carolina, the Post and Courier reported. He was an interim minister at Lexington Baptist Church on Main Street until about 2020. Online videos also show Shealy performing with a traditional choir at nearby Mt. Horeb Church, a Global Methodist congregation, in 2024.



Chan ShealyChan Shealy released one album of original worship music, “Prayer Warrior,” named for a passage in Ephesians about resisting “the devil’s schemes.” (Image courtesy of Amazon)
Shealy accepted freelance bookings on a personal website from 2023 to 2026. He put out one album of original worship music, titled “Prayer Warrior,” citing Ephesians 6:11-14, a verse about putting on the “armor of God” to resist “the devil’s schemes.”

“All these shackles holding on to me,” Shealy sings on the title track. “I must fight them down on my knee / asking for the Spirit’s power / through this tested hour / given hope of love and salvation / Lord heal our nation.”

Facing 33 more charges in South Carolina
Shealy was already facing 33 related state-level charges, including sexual exploitation of a minor, criminal sexual conduct with a minor and committing a lewd act upon a child. He faces a maximum possible consecutive sentence of 635 years in South Carolina prison.

According to prosecutors, state and federal investigators worked together as part of Project Safe Childhood, a Department of Justice initiative launched in 2006.

An undercover officer in the South Carolina Attorney General’s office reportedly first found obscene images of a child shared on the internet. A Homeland Security Investigations officer made contact online, pretending to be someone who wanted to see more child sex abuse materials, according to the indictment.

Chan ShealyChan Shealy sings at Mt. Horeb Church in 2024, two years before his arrest. (Video screengrab)
The agent allegedly received four pictures taken between 2004 and 2006 showing Shealy abusing a child. They were sent using the peer-to-peer file sharing service eDonkey, prosecutors said. The Internet Protocol address used to share the images belonged to Shealy, according to the federal indictment.

Lexington County sheriff’s deputies arrested Shealy on March 26. They also searched his home and found two computers and an external hard drive with more obscene images, the state prosecutor said. South Carolina’s attorney general filed additional criminal charges May 1.

A Lexington County judge denied Shealy bond. He remains in the county jail, sheriff’s records show.

Wife resigned from school board
The worship minister is married and has four children, according to posts on a family member’s social media.

His wife, Beth Shealy, was an elected representative on the county school board and served as vice chair. She ran for office, touting her background in healthcare finance, work ethic and a strong moral compass.

Beth Shealy initially posted a statement back in March about how God uses trials to bring himself glory but then deleted it and stepped down. The school board accepted her resignation, “effective immediately.”

“Our priority is and will always be the wellbeing of our students,” the board said in a statement at the time. “The Board of Trustees and the district remain committed to supporting our students, families and staff and to ensuring our schools continue to be safe, respectful and focused on learning.”

Beth Shealy is not facing any criminal charges. Chan Shealy is next scheduled to appear in federal court Nov. 4.

Daniel SillimanDaniel Silliman is senior reporter/editor at Roys Report. He began his two decades in journalism covering crime in Atlanta and has since led major investigations into abuse and misconduct in Christian contexts. Daniel and his wife live in Johnson City, Tennessee.

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