VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — A local Navy Chief Petty Officer is admitting to creating child sexual abuse material, including taking explicit videos and images of a minor at the Virginia Beach home he lived in, court documents state.
Shane Harlacher, 38, is pleading guilty to production of child sexual abuse material as part of a plea agreement filed on Sept. 17. Harlacher enlisted in 2004, Navy records state, and was first stationed in Hampton Roads in 2005. His assignments through the years were primarily based in Hampton Roads, with his latest reported assignment being Naval Station Norfolk starting in July of 2025.
As part of the agreement, Harlacher signed a statement of facts, confirming findings that prosecutors would have proven in court had the case gone to trial.
The statement of facts outlines evidence NCIS agents uncovered at Harlacher’s home in Gaeta, Italy, where he was stationed starting in 2022, and at the Virginia Beach home he lived in before he was transferred.
In April 2024, NCIS agents searched Harlacher while he was on the USS Mount Whitney in Gaeta, documents say. They found nearly 150 files on his phone, either videos or images, of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct.
Investigators say they also found numerous sexually explicit videos and pictures showing a 13-year-old girl on Harlacher’s phone. These videos and pictures were taken in 2021 at the Virginia Beach home Harlacher lived in before he was transferred to Italy, NCIS learned.
Harlacher is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 14. The production of child sexual abuse material charge carries a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison and a maximum of 30 years. He also must register as a sex offender, as noted in his plea agreement.
