Ryan Christopher Hall, Sexual Exploitation, Maryland 2025

Former Harford County Sheriff’s Office Detective Ryan Christopher Hall, 50, of Woodstock, Maryland, has pleaded guilty to sexual exploitation of a child and possession of child sexual abuse material charges in federal court. The shocking case has left authorities and the community reeling.

Hall, who served as a domestic violence detective for 27 years, was arrested and charged with the crimes in connection with the sexual abuse of two minor children. The abuse is alleged to have occurred between May 2017 and October 2024.

According to court documents, Hall installed cameras to produce child sexual abuse material and possessed child sexual abuse material. He is also facing related charges for child sexual abuse in the Carroll County Circuit Court.

The case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. The program aims to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims.

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 is also subject to lifetime supervised release and lifetime registration as a sex offender.

U.S. District Judge Brendan A. Hurson has scheduled sentencing for March 3, 2026, at 2 p.m. The investigation was a combined effort between HSI, the Carroll County State’s Attorney’s Office Special Victims Unit, and the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office Crimes Against Children Unit.

U.S. Attorney Kelly O. Hayes commended the agencies involved in the case and thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Colleen Elizabeth McGuinn for her work in prosecuting the federal case.

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