Lexington County worship musician out on bond after arrest for child sexual abuse material

LEXINGTON COUNTY, S.C. (WIS) - A Lexington County worship musician is out on bond after being arrested on charges related to child sexual abuse material.

The South Carolina Attorney General’s Office said 53-year-old Richard Channing Shealy was arrested Thursday and charged with 13 total counts, ranging from second-degree and third-degree sexual exploitation of a minor.

Arrest warrants obtained by WIS state Shealy allegedly shared files containing child sexual abuse material over the internet three different times in February.

Documents also state Shealy reportedly had ten other files containing child sexual abuse material in his possession during a search warrant conducted on Thursday.

Shealy was booked at the Lexington County Detention Center after his arrest and was later granted a $150,000 bond.

As part of his bond, a judge ordered Shealy to have no unsupervised contact with minors except his own children and to have no internet access. He was also ordered not to be within 100 yards of any place where children gather and to inform the court immediately of any change in address.

Officials confirmed Friday morning that Shealy posted bond and has since been released.

WIS discovered Shealy has a website where he accepts bookings as a worship musician. The website also states that he previously served as an interim worship pastor at churches in Lexington.

It also identifies Shealy as the husband of Lexington County School District 1 Vice Chair Beth Shealy. WIS has reached out to her for comment.

This is a developing story. Stay with WIS for updates.

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