A HOLLYWOOD actor, director, and producer has been hit with 24 felony charges of child sex abuse as cops search for more victims.
Shane Ryan Gledhill, also known as Shane Ryan-Reid, 46, from Lompoc, California, allegedly used internet casting calls and his film projects to lure in underage victims.
His arrest on August 3 by Santa Barbara County detectives comes after an extensive five-year investigation into allegations of child sexual abuse and exploitation.
The actor and producer with around 150 films to his name, has worked with stars like Shelley Duvall, Richard Dreyfuss, Kathryn Eastwood, and Ed Harris, and was initially arrested on 15 counts which have since increased to 24.
Charges include child molestation, rape, forcible sexual assault, possession of child sexual abuse material, and contacting a minor with the intent to commit a sexual offense.
At the time of his arrest, cops said that they believed there may be additional survivors that they do not yet know about.
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“Investigators believe Gledhill’s alleged criminal conduct may have spanned approximately 25 years and involved individuals throughout the Central Coast, the Los Angeles area, and potentially the East Coast through his filmmaking and casting activities,” cops said.
They noted that victims may not recognize his legal name as he would use the names “Shane Ryan” and “Shane Ryan-Reid” professionally to contact wannabe actors and filmmakers.
He ran several Instagram accounts including @madincinema, @talkhardcinema, @shaneryanreid, and @shaneryanreidfilms.
Cops first started investigating Gledhill in November 2021 when a 17-year-old reported “suspicious and inappropriate conduct” between herself and the producer when she was just 15 years old.
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“During the initial investigation, detectives identified two additional survivors,” police said.
In February 2022, they searched Gledhill’s home in Lompoc and seized thousands of digital files that have been examined by forensic experts.
“Over the course of the investigation, detectives identified nine survivors, all of whom were minors at the time of the alleged offenses,” detectives revealed at the time of his arrest.
Gledhill is being held at the Northern Branch Jail on a $500,000 bail.
Anyone with any information regarding Gledhill is urged to contact Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Detectives at (805) 681-4150.
Anonymous reports can be made at the tip line at (805)681-4171 or online at SBSheriff.org.
A dive into Gledhill’s film catalog produces concerning results with the actor playing the lead role in the 2009 film ‘Warning!!! Pedophile,’ which he also co-wrote, produced, and directed.
In the film, a pedophile, played by Gledhill, is released from prison after serving six years for molesting a 12-year-old girl.
She is 18 at the time of his release and the pair of “soul mates” reunite sparking outrage in the community.
The film’s taglines include “he’s coming for her,” “his baby girl grew up” and “a love story.”
Another film he directed and wrote is called The Victim, a drama in which a girl is held accountable for a man’s suicide after she falsely accused him and others of abuse.
This is still listed as in pre-production with no release date confirmed.
And he also played a rapist killer in a 2006 movie who kidnaps an underage girl before raping and murdering her.
Gledhill revised this film two more times with the second version being “more graphic and more explicit,” noting in an on-camera interview in 2018 that the second version of the film “showed real penetration.”
He has also claimed “he realized that he could have an impact with filmmaking in regards to issues like child abuse and sexual assault, in an effort to bring awareness and understanding to important topics through cinema.”
According to his IMDB page, he also acted in Disney Channel’s That’s So Raven alongside Raven-Symoné.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call RAINN (Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network) at 800-656-HOPE (4673).
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673.
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