OGDEN, Utah — A former Box Elder County judge charged with multiple child sex crimes changed his plea to guilty Thursday, allowing for some of the charges to be dropped.
Kevin Christensen appeared inside an Ogden courtroom, where he pleaded guilty to one charge of Enticing a Minor Using the Internet and two charges of Dealing in Materials Harmful to a Minor.
All the charges are third-degree felonies, and the change in plea came nearly a full year after Christensen was originally charged with 8 crimes, to which he pleaded not guilty in July.
Watch the full change of plea hearing with former judge in video below:
As part of the plea agreement, Christensen will be allowed to serve his sentences for the charges concurrently.
Sentencing is scheduled for June 8.
The 65-year-old Christensen was arrested following an investigation that allegedly showed he had distributed and received child sex abuse material online.
Christensen was originally charged with 3 counts of Enticing a Minor, 3 counts of Attempted Exploitation of a Minor, 2 counts of Dealing in Material Harmful to a Minor, and one count of Obstruction of Justice.
Box Elder judge and fire chief shared child porn, fantasies of molestation with each other:
During its investigation of the former judge, the FBI's Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force recovered a chat from Christensen's online account in which he believed he was speaking with a 13-year-old girl and engaged in sexually graphic conversation, and also sent a video of an adult male performing a sexual act.
Christensen was arrested at around the same time as former Tremonton Fire Chief Ned Brady Hansen, who was charged with similar crimes. Both men allegedly shared child pornography and discussed fantasies of abusing children together, while also engaging in a sexual relationship.
Tremonton-Garland Police Chief Dustin Cordova shared the following statement:
“The Tremonton-Garland Police Department’s stance is that all offenders—regardless of rank, title, or influence—should be held accountable to the fullest extent the law allows, especially those who held positions of public trust. Anything less is a disservice to the victims and to this community.
We remain unwavering in our commitment to protecting the most vulnerable among us, and we will continue to pursue every available avenue to ensure that those who harm children face the consequences they deserve. The badge we wear means something, and we intend to keep it that way.”
A spokesperson for the Office of the Utah Attorney General shared the following:
“The defendant pleaded guilty to three felony child sex abuse crimes. On that basis, we amended the charges to better reflect the evidence. We are seeking prison-time, and the defendant will be on the sex offender registry. The Office of the Utah Attorney General is committed to protecting children and to holding accountable those who harm them."
