Former Harford County Sheriff’s Office Detective Pleads Guilty to Sexual Exploitation of Two Children

Baltimore, Maryland - Ryan Christopher Hall, 50, of Woodstock, Maryland, pled guilty today, to sexual exploitation of a child and possession of child sexual abuse material charges in federal court. Hall is a former domestic violence detective who served 27 years with the Harford County Sheriff's Office.

Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the guilty plea with Acting Special Agent in Charge Evan Campanella, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) - Baltimore; Carroll County State's Attorney Haven N. Shoemaker, Jr.; Sheriff James T. DeWees, Carroll County Sheriff's Office; and Sheriff Jeff Gahler, Harford County Sheriff's Office.

According to court documents, from May 2017 thru October 2024, Hall sexually abused two minor children. Authorities discovered that Hall installed cameras to produce child sexual abuse material and possessed child sexual abuse material. Additionally, Hall is facing related charges for child sexual abuse in the Carroll County Circuit Court.

Hall faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years, and a maximum sentence of 30 years, in federal prison for each count of sexual exploitation of a child. He also is subject to lifetime supervised release and lifetime registration as a sex offender. U.S. District Judge Brendan A. Hurson scheduled sentencing for Tuesday, March 3, 2026, at 2 p.m.

This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative, launched in May 2006, by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney's Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit https://www.justice.gov/psc. Learn more about Internet safety education by clicking on the "Resources" tab on the left of the page.

Know2Protect is a Department of Homeland Security national public awareness campaign to educate and empower children, teens, parents, trusted adults and policymakers to prevent and combat online child sexual exploitation and abuse; explain how to report online enticement and victimization; and offer resources for victims and survivors and their supporters. Learn more about Know2Protect at https://www.dhs.gov/know2protect.

U.S. Attorney Hayes commended HSI, the Carroll County State's Attorney's Office Special Victims Unit, and Carroll County Sheriff's Office Crimes Against Children Unit for their combined effort and work in the investigation. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Colleen Elizabeth McGuinn who is prosecuting the federal case.

For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney's Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

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