Ex-Harford County sheriff’s deputy sentenced to 36 years for sexually exploiting 2 children

A former senior deputy in the Harford County Sheriff’s Office who sexually abused two children and secretly recorded explicit photos and videos of them with a hidden camera was sentenced on Tuesday to serve 36 years in federal prison and a lifetime of supervised release.

U.S. District Judge Brendan A. Hurson described the crimes that Ryan Hall committed as horrific and stated that he needed to be incarcerated for the protection of the public.

Hall served in the sheriff’s office for 27 years and worked as a detective investigating domestic violence. But Hurson said Hall disgraced the badge.

People would have killed for a similarly beautiful life, Hurson said.

“You had it. And now it’s gone,” Hurson said. “And it’s gone forever.”

Meanwhile, Hurson commended the survivors for providing examples of how to overcome adversity. He said he has read one of their victim impact statements multiple times and will continue to refer to the letter.

“You are absolutely an inspiration to all of us,” he said. “I can’t even imagine what you’re going through now.”

If he is released from prison, Hall will have to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

When given the opportunity to address the court, Hall apologized to the judge, federal prosecutor and even his own defense attorney for making them delve into what he called “the darkness of what was my mind.”

Hall, 51, of Woodbine, also apologized to his family and friends as well as the men and women of the sheriff’s office and the survivors.

“There’s nothing that can change or make right the wrongs,” Hall said. “They were choices that I made of my own free will.”

The Carroll County Sheriff’s Office started investigating Hall on Oct. 7, 2024, after one of the survivors discovered the hidden camera, which was pointed toward a toilet and shower. Hall committed the crimes from at least 2012 until he was caught in 2024.

The survivors each spoke about the lasting emotional pain of their exploitation.

One described the constant sexual abuse she endured as “completely inexcusable.”

“His actions were truly wicked,” she said.

She said Hall knew the damage sexual abuse causes to survivors and their families, yet “he still chose to assault me.”

The Banner does not identify survivors of sexual abuse without their permission.

As part of a plea agreement to two counts of sexual exploitation of children, Hall faced a sentence of between 25 and 40 years in prison.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Colleen McGuinn pushed for the maximum sentence, which she stated “almost guarantees the defendant will not breathe free air.”

Law enforcement, she said, also discovered more than 87,000 images of child sexual abuse material. And investigators are still coming across new files, McGuinn said.

“These two young women endured years of abuse, humiliation, fear,” McGuinn said, “and they’ve been left to pick up the pieces.”

Hall, she said, was the law. But he used his specialized knowledge and training to commit the crimes.

Joe Murtha, Hall’s attorney, said his client has always accepted responsibility for his actions.

“There’s no excuse,” Murtha said. “He knows there’s no adequate explanation.”

Hall, he said, has expressed a sense of relief now that he no longer has to live two lives. He was willing to accept whatever sentence the judge handed down.

Murtha said he hopes his client can find purpose in prison as he atones for the crimes.