was a former Mormon bishopric member and veteran sheriff's department detective in Maryland; in 2024, arrested and charged with several sex crimes related to child sexual abuse

Ryan Christopher Hall was a former Mormon bishopric member and veteran sheriff’s department detective in Maryland.

In 2024, Hall was charged with several sex crimes related to child sexual abuse.

At the time of his arrest, Hall was a member of the Woodbine Ward (Mt. Airy, Maryland) of the Frederick Maryland Stake, according to an acquaintance of Hall who alerted FLOODLIT to this case.

Hall had previously served in a ward bishopric, Sunday school presidencies, the young men’s program, and most recently as a young single adults (YSA) Sunday school teacher, the acquaintance said.

—

Federal Charges: 2025-03-13

Ryan Christopher Hall, a former Harford County Sheriff’s detective, who has been indicted on 10 counts of alleged sexual child abuse.

Hall, aged 50, faces serious federal charges stemming from his alleged actions, which include installing hidden cameras in his home bathroom to record sexually explicit material of two children related to him, beginning when they were underage.

The federal indictment focuses on six videos recorded between 2017 and 2021, though state charges last October revealed over 1,000 explicit files, some dating back to 2012.

Hall reportedly confessed to installing the cameras, admitting to investigators, “I have a problem.”

The victims, now in their 20s, have recounted abuse starting at age 10, with one describing an incident that lasted the duration of an entire movie.

Hall allegedly acknowledged the abuse when questioned.

Additionally, police found files of unrelated girls as young as 4, and Hall admitted to viewing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) since 2008.

Hall served 27 years with the Sheriff’s Office, most recently in the Domestic Violence Unit.

He faces a federal court appearance on March 19, 2025, with potential sentences ranging from a mandatory minimum of 15 years to a maximum of 30 years per count if convicted.

If you have any information about this individual, including their history in the Mormon church, please add information below or contact us.

FLOODLIT.org reports on sexual abuse in the LDS church in order to raise public awareness and help survivors heal. Learn more »

Facts

Sources

  1. Harford Sheriff's detective admits to installing hidden cameras, sexually abusing children, WMAR 2 Baltimore, October 24, 2024.
  2. Case Detail - Circuit Court For Carroll County - Criminal - Case Number: C-06-CR-24-000737, Maryland Judiciary Case Search, March 4, 2025.
  3. Feds indict former Harford County Sheriff's Detective accused of hiding cameras, taping sexual abuse, WMAR 2 News, March 13, 2025.

  • 1. Harford Sheriff's detective admits to installing hidden cameras, sexually abusing children

    • 24 Oct 2024
    • News article
    • WMAR 2 Baltimore

    WOODBINE, Md. — A veteran Harford County Sheriff's deputy faces a slew of child sex abuse charges.

    Ryan Christopher Hall, 50, was arrested Tuesday, after a now 22-year-old family member found a camera hidden inside the vent of their home bathroom in Woodbine.

    The 27-year detective was assigned to the Harford Sheriff's Domestic Violence Unit, but is now suspended without pay.

    Carroll County prosecutors say they recovered more than 1,000 sexually explicit files of two victims related to Hall, some dating back to 2012, when they were underage.

    Hall reportedly admitted to personally installing the cameras inside the bathroom.

    "I did put [the cameras] there because I have a problem," Hall told investigators, according to charging documents.

    He confessed to watching child porn since 2008.

    Other files seized by police depicted random girls as young as 4-years-old, who have no relation to Hall.

    The one victim who first discovered the bathroom camera, recalled Hall sexually abusing them when they were between 10 and 12-years old.

    "One of these incidents lasted so long that she remembers a movie starting and ending prior to him ending the abuse," detectives wrote in charging documents.

    The second victim, who is now 21, also remembered being abused by Hall starting at age 10.

    "When I asked Ryan about this, he acknowledged that it happened," investigators wrote in charging documents.

    Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler reacted to the disturbing allegations by issuing this statement.

    "At this time, we have no information that these crimes were committed with the use of HCSO equipment or during the course of Hall’s on duty hours," said Gahler. "I find it both personally and professionally disappointing that someone within our ranks would break that trust and be accused of such heinous acts and crimes. My thoughts go out to the victims in this case."

  • 2. Case Detail - Circuit Court For Carroll County - Criminal - Case Number: C-06-CR-24-000737

    • 4 Mar 2025
    • Court record
    • Maryland Judiciary Case Search

    Case Detail
    Case Information
    Court System: Circuit Court For Carroll County - Criminal
    Location: Carroll Circuit Court
    Case Number: C-06-CR-24-000737
    Title: State of Maryland vs. Ryan C Hall
    Case Type: Criminal Indictment
    Filing Date: 11/07/2024
    Case Status: Open
    Tracking Number(s): 240000005302
    Other Reference Numbers
    Forwarded to Circuit Court: D-102-CR-24-001895
    Defendant Information
    Defendant
    Name: Hall, Ryan C
    Race: White Sex: Male Height: 6'0" Weight: 195
    HairColor: Brown EyeColor: Blue
    DOB: [xx/xx]/1974
    Address: [redacted by FLOODLIT]
    City: ELKTON State: MD Zip Code: 21921

    Attorney(s) for the Defendant
    Name: MURTHA, JOSEPH
    Appearance Date: 12/03/2024
    Address Line 1: Rice, Murtha & Psoras, LLC
    Address Line 2: 1301 YORK RD STE 200
    City: LUTHERVILLE State: MD Zip Code: 21093

    Involved Parties Information
    Plaintiff
    Name: State of Maryland

    Attorney(s) for the Plaintiff
    Name: State's Attorney, Carroll County
    Appearance Date: 11/07/2024
    Address Line 1: 55 N. Court Street
    City: Westminster State: MD Zip Code: 21157

    Name: GILLER, SETH ADAM
    Appearance Date: 11/07/2024
    Address Line 1: Carroll County State's Attorney's Office
    Address Line 2: 55 North Court Street
    City: WESTMINSTER State: MD Zip Code: 21157

    Court Scheduling Information
    Event Type Event Date Event Time Judge Court Location Court Room Result
    Hearing - Initial Appearance 12/06/2024 08:45:00 Carroll County Circuit Court CancelledReason: Cancelled/Vacated
    Conference - Status 02/05/2025 13:15:00 DeLeonardo, Brian Carroll County Circuit Court Courtroom 1 - Historic - 2nd Floor CancelledReason: Postponed/Reset
    Conference - Status 03/25/2025 13:15:00 DeLeonardo, Brian Carroll County Circuit Court
    Charge and Disposition Information
    Charge No: 1 CJIS Code: 1-0322 Statute Code: CR.3.602.(b)(1)
    Charge Description: SEX ABUSE MINOR Charge Class: Felony Circuit Court
    Probable Cause:
    Offense Date From: 01/01/2013 To: 07/22/2016
    Agency Name: Officer ID:
    Charge No: 2 CJIS Code: 2-1136 Statute Code: CR.3.315
    Charge Description: SEX ABUSE MNR/CONT COURSE CONDCT Charge Class: Felony Circuit Court
    Probable Cause:
    Offense Date From: 01/01/2013 To: 07/22/2016
    Agency Name: Officer ID:
    Charge No: 3 CJIS Code: 1-0322 Statute Code: CR.3.602.(b)(1)
    Charge Description: SEX ABUSE MINOR Charge Class: Felony Circuit Court
    Probable Cause:
    Offense Date From: 01/01/2010 To: 10/26/2015
    Agency Name: Officer ID:
    Charge No: 4 CJIS Code: 2-1136 Statute Code: CR.3.315
    Charge Description: SEX ABUSE MNR/CONT COURSE CONDCT Charge Class: Felony Circuit Court
    Probable Cause:
    Offense Date From: 01/01/2010 To: 10/26/2015
    Agency Name: Officer ID:
    Charge No: 5 CJIS Code: 1-0299 Statute Code: CR.11.207.(a)(2)(3)
    Charge Description: CHILD PORN FILM IN SEX ACT Charge Class: Felony Circuit Court
    Probable Cause:
    Offense Date From: 01/03/2012 To:
    Agency Name: Officer ID:
    Charge No: 6 CJIS Code: 1-0299 Statute Code: CR.11.207.(a)(2)(3)
    Charge Description: CHILD PORN FILM IN SEX ACT Charge Class: Felony Circuit Court
    Probable Cause:
    Offense Date From: 04/20/2020 To:
    Agency Name: Officer ID:
    Charge No: 7 CJIS Code: 1-0299 Statute Code: CR.11.207.(a)(2)(3)
    Charge Description: CHILD PORN FILM IN SEX ACT Charge Class: Felony Circuit Court
    Probable Cause:
    Offense Date From: 04/21/2020 To:
    Agency Name: Officer ID:
    Charge No: 8 CJIS Code: 1-0299 Statute Code: CR.11.207.(a)(2)(3)
    Charge Description: CHILD PORN FILM IN SEX ACT Charge Class: Felony Circuit Court
    Probable Cause:
    Offense Date From: 12/09/2020 To:
    Agency Name: Officer ID:
    Charge No: 9 CJIS Code: 1-0299 Statute Code: CR.11.207.(a)(2)(3)
    Charge Description: CHILD PORN FILM IN SEX ACT Charge Class: Felony Circuit Court
    Probable Cause:
    Offense Date From: 06/03/2018 To:
    Agency Name: Officer ID:
    Charge No: 10 CJIS Code: 1-0299 Statute Code: CR.11.207.(a)(2)(3)
    Charge Description: CHILD PORN FILM IN SEX ACT Charge Class: Felony Circuit Court
    Probable Cause:
    Offense Date From: 05/29/2018 To:
    Agency Name: Officer ID:
    Charge No: 11 CJIS Code: 1-0299 Statute Code: CR.11.207.(a)(2)(3)
    Charge Description: CHILD PORN FILM IN SEX ACT Charge Class: Felony Circuit Court
    Probable Cause:
    Offense Date From: 01/12/2020 To:
    Agency Name: Officer ID:
    Charge No: 12 CJIS Code: 1-0299 Statute Code: CR.11.207.(a)(2)(3)
    Charge Description: CHILD PORN FILM IN SEX ACT Charge Class: Felony Circuit Court
    Probable Cause:
    Offense Date From: 05/29/2018 To:
    Agency Name: Officer ID:
    Charge No: 13 CJIS Code: 1-0299 Statute Code: CR.11.207.(a)(2)(3)
    Charge Description: CHILD PORN FILM IN SEX ACT Charge Class: Felony Circuit Court
    Probable Cause:
    Offense Date From: 05/05/2020 To:
    Agency Name: Officer ID:
    Charge No: 14 CJIS Code: 1-1756 Statute Code: CR 11 208
    Charge Description: Possess Child Pornography Charge Class: Misdemeanor
    Probable Cause:
    Offense Date From: 10/07/2024 To:
    Agency Name: Officer ID:
    Charge No: 15 CJIS Code: 1-1756 Statute Code: CR 11 208
    Charge Description: Possess Child Pornography Charge Class: Misdemeanor
    Probable Cause:
    Offense Date From: 10/07/2024 To:
    Agency Name: Officer ID:
    Charge No: 16 CJIS Code: 1-1756 Statute Code: CR 11 208
    Charge Description: Possess Child Pornography Charge Class: Misdemeanor
    Probable Cause:
    Offense Date From: 10/07/2024 To:
    Agency Name: Officer ID:
    Charge No: 17 CJIS Code: 1-1756 Statute Code: CR 11 208
    Charge Description: Possess Child Pornography Charge Class: Misdemeanor
    Probable Cause:
    Offense Date From: 10/07/2024 To:
    Agency Name: Officer ID:
    Charge No: 18 CJIS Code: 1-1756 Statute Code: CR 11 208
    Charge Description: Possess Child Pornography Charge Class: Misdemeanor
    Probable Cause:
    Offense Date From: 10/07/2024 To:
    Agency Name: Officer ID:
    Charge No: 19 CJIS Code: 1-1756 Statute Code: CR 11 208
    Charge Description: Possess Child Pornography Charge Class: Misdemeanor
    Probable Cause:
    Offense Date From: 10/07/2024 To:
    Agency Name: Officer ID:
    Charge No: 20 CJIS Code: 1-1756 Statute Code: CR 11 208
    Charge Description: Possess Child Pornography Charge Class: Misdemeanor
    Probable Cause:
    Offense Date From: 10/07/2024 To:
    Agency Name: Officer ID:
    Charge No: 21 CJIS Code: 1-1756 Statute Code: CR 11 208
    Charge Description: Possess Child Pornography Charge Class: Misdemeanor
    Probable Cause:
    Offense Date From: 10/07/2024 To:
    Agency Name: Officer ID:
    Charge No: 22 CJIS Code: 1-1756 Statute Code: CR 11 208
    Charge Description: Possess Child Pornography Charge Class: Misdemeanor
    Probable Cause:
    Offense Date From: 10/07/2024 To:
    Agency Name: Officer ID:
    Charge No: 23 CJIS Code: 1-1756 Statute Code: CR 11 208
    Charge Description: Possess Child Pornography Charge Class: Misdemeanor
    Probable Cause:
    Offense Date From: 10/07/2024 To:
    Agency Name: Officer ID:
    Charge No: 24 CJIS Code: 1-1760 Statute Code: CR.3.902.(c)(2)
    Charge Description: VIS SURV - PRIVATE AREA Charge Class: Misdemeanor
    Probable Cause:
    Offense Date From: 10/08/2023 To: 10/07/2024
    Agency Name: Officer ID:
    Charge No: 25 CJIS Code: 1-1760 Statute Code: CR.3.902.(c)(2)
    Charge Description: VIS SURV - PRIVATE AREA Charge Class: Misdemeanor
    Probable Cause:
    Offense Date From: 10/08/2023 To: 10/07/2024
    Agency Name: Officer ID:
    Bond Setting Information
    Bail Date: 10/23/2024
    Bail Setting Type: Hold Without Bond
    Bail Amount: $0.00
    Judge: Danz, Erin
    Document Information
    File Date: 10/22/2024
    Document Name: Statement of Charges
    File Date: 10/23/2024
    Document Name: Bail Review Summary
    File Date: 10/23/2024
    Document Name: Bail Set
    File Date: 11/07/2024
    Document Name: Criminal Indictment
    File Date: 11/07/2024
    Document Name: Hearing Sheet
    File Date: 11/07/2024
    Document Name: Correspondence
    File Date: 11/07/2024
    Document Name: Summons Issued (Service Event)
    File Date: 11/07/2024
    Document Name: Criminal Notice of Hearing / Trial
    File Date: 11/07/2024
    Document Name: Writ /Summons/Pleading - Electronic Service
    File Date: 11/07/2024
    Document Name: Writ - Habeas Corpus
    File Date: 11/07/2024
    Document Name: District Court Transmittal Received
    File Date: 11/12/2024
    Document Name: Return of Service - Served
    File Date: 11/18/2024
    Document Name: Crime Victim Certificate of Compliance
    File Date: 11/18/2024
    Document Name: Crime Victim Certificate of Compliance
    File Date: 12/02/2024
    Document Name: Defense Attorney Appearance Filed
    File Date: 12/02/2024
    Document Name: Motion / Request / Demand for Discovery and Inspection
    File Date: 12/02/2024
    Document Name: Motion - MD Rule 4-252 (Motions)
    File Date: 12/02/2024
    Document Name: Motion to Extend Time
    File Date: 12/05/2024
    Document Name: Criminal Notice of Hearing / Trial
    File Date: 12/05/2024
    Document Name: Writ - Habeas Corpus
    File Date: 12/05/2024
    Document Name: Writ /Summons/Pleading - Electronic Service
    File Date: 12/05/2024
    Document Name: Writ /Summons/Pleading - Electronic Service
    File Date: 12/16/2024
    Document Name: Discovery Pursuant to Rule 4-263
    File Date: 01/31/2025
    Document Name: Motion / Request - To Continue / Postpone
    File Date: 01/31/2025
    Document Name: Waiver of Hick's Rule
    File Date: 02/03/2025
    Document Name: Order/Rul - Postponement/Continuance - Granted
    File Date: 02/03/2025
    Document Name: Writ /Summons/Pleading - Electronic Service
    File Date: 02/03/2025
    Document Name: Criminal Notice of Hearing / Trial
    File Date: 02/03/2025
    Document Name: Writ - Habeas Corpus
    File Date: 02/03/2025
    Document Name: Writ /Summons/Pleading - Electronic Service
    File Date: 02/03/2025
    Document Name: Writ /Summons/Pleading - Electronic Service
    Service Information
    Service Type Issued Date
    Summons Issued 11/07/2024
    This is an electronic case record. Full case information cannot be made available either because of legal restrictions on access to case records found in Maryland Rules, or because of the practical difficulties inherent in reducing a case record into an electronic format.

  • 3. Feds indict former Harford County Sheriff's Detective accused of hiding cameras, taping sexual abuse

    • 13 Mar 2025
    • News article
    • WMAR 2 News

    BALTIMORE — A federal grand jury indicted a former Harford County Sheriff's detective on 10 counts of alleged sexual child abuse.

    Ryan Christopher Hall, 50 of Woodstock, was initially hit with state charges last October.

    Carroll County prosecutors, at the time, said they recovered more than 1,000 sexually explicit files of two children related to Hall, some dating as far back to 2012 when they were underage.

    Hall, who spent 27-years with the Sheriff's Office, and was last assigned to their Domestic Violence Unit, reportedly admitted to personally installing the cameras inside his home bathroom.

    "I did put [the cameras] there because I have a problem," Hall told investigators, according to state charging documents.

    The federal indictment, however, specifically involves six different videos between 2017 and 2021.

    Both victims are now in their 20s.

    The one who first discovered the bathroom camera, recalled Hall sexually abusing them between the ages of 10 and 12-years old.

    RELATED: Harford Sheriff's detective admits to installing hidden cameras, sexually abusing children

    "One of these incidents lasted so long that she remembers a movie starting and ending prior to him ending the abuse," detectives wrote in charging documents.

    The second victim also remembered Hall abusing them starting at age 10.

    "When I asked Ryan about this, he acknowledged that it happened," investigators wrote in charging documents.
    Ryan Christopher Hall
    Carroll County Sheriff's Office
    Ryan Christopher Hall

    Other files seized by police depicted random girls as young as 4-years-old, unrelated to Hall.

    Police noted that Hall confessed to watching child porn since 2008.

    Hall is due in federal court on March 19. If convicted, he faces a mandatory 15-year minimum and 30-year maximum prison sentence for each count.

Documents

Have documents, information or corrections? Add information

Criminal case documents

FLOODLIT does not have a copy of a related probable cause affidavit. Please check back soon or contact us to request that we look for one.

Civil case documents

We do not know of any related civil cases, so no related civil case documents exist. If you have information that suggests otherwise, please contact us.

Other documents

FLOODLIT does not have a copy of any other related documents. Please check back soon or contact us to request that we look for some.

 

Add information

If someone you know was harmed by the person listed on this page, or if you would like us to add or correct any information, please fill out the form below. We will keep you anonymous. You can also contact us directly.