Ex-Tennessee deputy pleads guilty to coercing York County girl into sending photos
A former deputy from Tennessee faces at least 15 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to coercing a York County girl into sending him sexual images online.
Johnathan Nathaniel Allen, 27, pleaded guilty Tuesday afternoon in U.S. District Court in Columbia to production of child pornography after York County Sheriff’s Office cybercimes detectives arrested him in December 2024.
The charge carries 15 to 30 years prison and five years to a lifetime of supervised release after Allen gets out of prison, court records show. Allen also must register as a sex offender, said Veronica Wheeler, spokesperson for South Carolina’s U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Allen remains in jail pending sentencing, Wheeler said.
York SC Sheriff: ‘Relentless’ in targeting child predators
York County Sheriff Tony Breeden said Wednesday his officers will continue to “be relentless in hunting down those that want to harm our children.”
In a separate unrelated case, York County sheriff’s detectives arrested Daniel Paul Shealy, a former Rock Hill Police Department officer, in 2023 on child sexual abuse material charges. Shealy was sentenced to 21 years federal prison in November after a jury found him guilty of 18 charges.
“Our Investigations Division works tirelessly to provide justice for victims,” Breeden told The Herald. “Protecting our children is paramount and will always be a priority.”
Bryan Stirling, U.S. Attorney for South Carolina, said after the guilty plea the crime by a police officer is unacceptable.
“This outrageous criminal conduct, especially from someone sworn to protect society’s most vulnerable, its children, will be met with the full force of the federal government,” Stirling said.
Allen fired after arrest and indictment
Allen worked for the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office in Chattanooga, Tenn., when he contacted the 13-year-old girl using a fake name and claiming he was 15 years old, court records show. He enticed the girl into sending him explicit photos and videos, court documents show.
After his arrest on South Carolina charges, a federal grand jury indicted him last year and the case was moved to federal court.
Hamilton County Sheriff Austin Garrett fired Allen after the arrest.
This story was originally published May 13, 2026 at 10:52 AM with the headline "Ex-Tennessee deputy pleads guilty to coercing York County girl into sending photos."
