Hollywood Actor Sicko Allegedly Used Bogus Casting Calls to Lure Teen Victims

Hollywood actor Shane Ryan Gledhill allegedly used bogus casting calls and independent filmmaking projects to lure teenage girls before sexually abusing them, investigators said.

The 46-year-old Lompoc resident was arrested Tuesday by the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office following a five-year investigation. Authorities said the case produced 15 felony sex abuse charges against him, as reported by The New York Post.

Gledhill has assembled an extensive Hollywood resume, appearing in roughly 120 films and producing more than 150 projects, according to his IMDb page. His projects featured stars including Shelley Duvall, Richard Dreyfuss, Ed Harris and Tom Arnold.

CA: Southern California man arrested for alleged sexual abuse, exploitation of 9 minor victims.

Shane Ryan Gledhill, 46.

Contacted many of his victims through online casting calls and filmmaking projects.https://t.co/r4dC7gDcT7

— Dalton (@DaltonReport) August 5, 2026

Online, the actor cultivated an edgy image and claimed his filmmaking could raise awareness and understanding about issues such as child abuse and sexual assault. Investigators allege he instead weaponized his Hollywood credentials to target young girls.

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The investigation began in 2021 after a 17-year-old girl contacted police. She reported suspicious and inappropriate conduct involving Gledhill that allegedly occurred when she was 15 years old.

As detectives continued investigating the accusations, they identified two additional survivors of Gledhill’s alleged abuse. Testimony from those three victims became a key part of the developing case.

In 2022, investigators searched Gledhill’s home on Courtney Drive in Lompoc. Authorities seized thousands of digital files from the property and examined them through an extensive digital forensic investigation.

Detectives eventually uncovered nine victims, all of whom were minors at the time of the alleged offenses. Investigators said many of the girls had been contacted through online casting calls and filmmaking projects.

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After building their case, sheriff’s detectives arrested Gledhill at his Lompoc home on Tuesday. He is being held on $500,000 bail.

Gledhill faces 15 felony charges, including child molestation, rape, forcible sexual assault and contacting a minor with the intent to commit a sexual offense. The charges also include possession of child sexual abuse material and providing harmful matter to a minor.

Detectives released Gledhill’s mugshot in hopes that additional survivors and witnesses might recognize him and come forward. Authorities believe his alleged criminal activities may have spanned 25 years.

Potential victims could be from California’s Central Coast, LA, and possibly the East Coast, according to investigators. Authorities connected that possible geographic reach to Gledhill’s filmmaking and casting activities.

Police said Gledhill maintained a busy online presence under numerous handles. Those accounts included @madsincinema, @talkhardcinema, @shaneryanreid and @shaneryanreidfilms.

Gledhill’s online biography claims that he lives a straight-edge lifestyle and has worked with a large network of performers. The listed names include Coolio, ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic and Slipknot singer Corey Taylor.

An IMDb biography says Gledhill became controversial in his hometown after making violent films involving stories of sexual abuse. It also describes his penchant for making smut.

According to that biography, actress Lesley Ann Warren became outraged by promotional materials for one of Gledhill’s films. She successfully argued that his promotions should be banned, the biography says.

Gledhill also attempted to make a movie about human trafficking and the Stockholm Syndrome but encountered public pushback. He then pivoted to produce an apologetic film about Alyssa Bustamante, who killed her nine-year-old neighbor at age 15.

His brother is producer Jeremy Williams, who made at least one film starring Gledhill. The actor now remains jailed as detectives seek further information from possible survivors and witnesses.

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