Husband of SC school board member arrested in child sexual exploitation case
The husband of a Lexington County school board member was arrested for sexual exploitation of minors, the South Carolina Attorney General’s office announced Thursday.
Richard Channing Shealy, 53, was charged with three counts of sexual exploitation of a minor in the second degree, a felony offense punishable by two to 10 years in prison per count. He was also charged with 10 counts sexual exploitation of a minor in the third degree, a felony offense punishable by up to 10 years imprisonment per count.
Richard Shealy — who goes by “Chan” — is the husband of Elizabeth Shealy, vice chair of the Lexington 1 school board, according to his personal website. A Christian worship singer, Richard Shealy is a past guest speaker with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes at a local school, according to a Facebook post.
The attorney general’s office began investigating Richard Shealy after seeing files shared online. The case was referred the case to the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department, which made the arrest.
Richard Shealy distributed and possessed files of child sexual abuse material, according to a news release. Richard Shealy was scheduled to have a bond hearing at 3 p.m. at the Lexington County Detention Center. The attorney general’s office will prosecute the case.
This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.
This story was originally published March 26, 2026 at 3:35 PM.
