Actor Shane Ryan Gledhill faces 24 felony charges in child abuse case

A Hollywood actor and producer who worked on projects involving stars including Shelley Duvall, Richard Dreyfuss, Ed Harris and Tom Arnold is now facing 24 felony charges after investigators say he used online casting calls and filmmaking projects to gain access to underage victims.

Shane Ryan Gledhill, 46, of Lompoc, was arrested Aug. 3 after Santa Barbara County sheriff’s detectives spent nearly five years investigating allegations of child sexual abuse and exploitation.

He was initially booked on 15 felony charges. That number has since risen to 24.

Gledhill is being held on $500,000 bail, with a preliminary hearing set for Sept. 9 at the Superior Court of Santa Barbara’s Lompoc Courthouse.

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The investigation began in November 2021, when a 17-year-old survivor came forward to report suspicious and inappropriate conduct involving Gledhill that allegedly occurred when she was 15.

Detectives identified two additional survivors during the initial investigation.

By the time the probe progressed, authorities had identified nine survivors, all of whom were minors when the alleged offenses occurred.

Investigators searched Gledhill’s home on the 3000 block of Courtney Drive in Lompoc on Feb. 23, 2022, seizing thousands of digital files that were later examined during an extensive forensic investigation.

Authorities say Gledhill contacted many of the survivors through online casting calls and filmmaking projects, using the professional names “Shane Ryan” and “Shane Ryan-Reid.”

Investigators believe those casting calls and projects may have been used to attract young aspiring actors and filmmakers.

Gledhill had a lengthy Hollywood resume.

According to his IMDb page, he appeared in roughly 120 films and produced more than 150 projects featuring big-name actors.

His projects also involved other recognizable Hollywood names, including Bruce Dern, Peter Weller, Eric Roberts, Malcolm McDowell, Lance Henriksen and Robert Englund.

Now investigators believe the alleged conduct may extend beyond Santa Barbara County.

Based on filming locations, authorities said there could be additional survivors on California’s Central Coast, in Los Angeles County and potentially on the East Coast.

One of Gledhill’s films, released in 2006, followed a male serial killer who kidnaps an underage girl, manipulates her into having sex with him and then kills her.

Gledhill played the rapist killer in the movie, which was shot from the serial killer’s point of view.

He later made second and third versions of the film.

During an on-camera interview in 2018, Gledhill said the second version was “more graphic and more explicit” and that he “decided to use real penetration.”

In the same interview, he said the film “showed real penetration” on screen.

The 24 felony charges include allegations involving child molestation, rape, forcible sexual assault, contacting a minor with the intent to commit a sexual offense, possession of child sexual abuse material and providing harmful matter to a minor.

Authorities say the investigation is ongoing and that more potential survivors may be out there.

Gledhill remains in the Northern Branch Jail.