TREMONTON, Utah — Like those who live in and around the city, Tremonton city leaders are reeling after two prominent men in the community were arrested on child sexual abuse charges.
Residents have previously shared with FOX 13 News how they feel their trust had been violated following the arrests of Tremonton Fire Chief Ned Hansen and Judge Kevin Christensen, who allegedly shared child pornography and discussed fantasies of abusing children.
Tremonton Mayor Lyle Holmgren understands why people are upset.
"We had one lady call and say, 'I am not even sure if I dare let my children out. Can I even let my children out?' This is the fear some people have," Holmgren shared.
Hansen and Christensen are both currently in jail for their alleged crimes against children.
"Those victims, some of them may not even be old enough to even understand they’ve been victimized, and that’s what's horrible about all this," the mayor added. "This is what makes this so despicable.
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Holmgren himself was shocked to learn about the charges the men face, but said Hansen was thoroughly vetted by the police department before he was hired in 2023. The city is now looking at ways to improve the process.
"This is not something that they talk about with their coworkers, and so it's pretty hard to ferret this stuff out, but we will do our very best and this is something that we will not tolerate in our community again," Holmgren said.
Residents remain in shock, share anger over officials jailed on child sex abuse charges:
Since the arrests, Tremonton has appointed two interim fire chiefs to run the department, while city leaders search for the next permanent fire chief. Holmgren now hopes everyone in the small town can lean on each other as they try to move forward.
"The healing is what I want to see," he said. "There will always be wounds there, there's always gonna be scars, but we can heal, we can move on."
