A former Harford County sheriff’s deputy faces at least 30 years in prison after pleading guilty Monday in federal court in Baltimore to two counts of sexual exploitation of a child.

Ryan Christopher Hall, a former domestic violence investigator at the Harford County Sheriff’s Office, is scheduled to face sentencing in March 2026. The 27-year veteran of the department admitted in a plea agreement to sexually abusing the two minor girls in his custody.

Hall, 51, of Woodbine, still faces sex abuse charges in Carroll County Circuit Court in connection with the abuse, which the sheriff’s deputy recorded using covert cameras in a bedroom and a bathroom, according to his federal plea agreement. He was charged with federal crimes in March.

“Our case is still pending,” Carroll County State’s Attorney Haven Shoemaker said on Monday.

Hall’s attorney, Joseph Murtha, said the “circumstance surrounding Mr. Hall’s guilty plea is a tragedy for his family, and an unfortunate ending for an individual who spent many years devoted to helping the community.”

“Mr. Hall has accepted responsibility, understanding the grave consequence of his actions,” Murtha said.

Hall was suspended without pay from the sheriff’s office in October 2024, when Carroll County officials charged him. He retired effective Nov. 1, 2024, a Harford sheriff’s office spokesperson said.

Videos and images of the teenage girls, which “number in the thousands,” were found on storage cards in the sunglasses compartment of Hall’s vehicle, according to the plea agreement. Filmed on covert cameras installed by Hall, they depicted the girls nude and in explicit positions. Both girls also told investigators that Hall sexually abused them as teens.

When questioned by police, Hall admitted to hiding a camera in the bathroom and said that he “put that there because I have a problem,” according to charging documents in his state case.

Each federal conviction carries a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison and a maximum of 30 years. Federal defendants rarely receive maximum sentences.

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