OGDEN, Utah — A former Box Elder County judge and the former chief of the Tremonton Fire Department, both charged with multiple child sex crimes, appeared just minutes apart in an Ogden courtroom on Thursday.
Kevin Robert Christensen walked into the courtroom and stood beside his attorney as Judge Joseph Bean went over the exact charges that the former judge faces, including the following:
- 3 counts of enticing a minor
- 2 counts of dealing in material harmful to a minor
- 3 counts of attempted exploitation of a minor
- 1 count of obstruction of justice
Five of the charges against Christensen are second-degree felonies and carry sentences of 1-15 years in prison, the others are third-degree felonies in which he can be sentenced to between 0-5 years in prison if found guilty.
FULL VIDEO: Former Tremonton fire chief denied bail in court appearance:
The only time Christensen spoke during the appearance was when he answered "yes" to the judge asking whether he understood the penalties connected to the charges.
Before the former judge left the court, a preliminary hearing was set for April 24.
'So despicable;' Tremonton officials reeling after child sex abuse arrests of judge, fire chief:
Christensen was arrested last week following an investigation by the FBI's Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force. Arrest documents showed how the FBI was informed on Feb. 28 of someone communicating online with others about "sexually abusing children, sexually exploiting children, and enticing children."
Christensen's crimes have been linked with Ned Brady Hansen, the former chief of the Tremonton Fire Department who also faces multiple child sex abuse charges. The two men had an alleged sexual relationship with one another, while also sharing child pornography and discussing fantasies of abusing children together.
Box Elder judge and fire chief shared child porn, fantasies of molestation with each other:
Minutes after Christensen left the courtroom, Hansen appeared before Judge Bean, who denied the former fire chief's request to have bail reinstated. After Hansen's arrest in January, Christensen was the judge who released him on bail despite the alleged risk he posed.
Following his arrest, Christensen resigned from his position as judge.
