- Retired Salt Lake Fire Battalion Chief Kelly J. Carter is charged with 10 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor.
- Carter, 51, is accused of purchasing and viewing child sex abuse material.
- Prosecutors request Carter remain in custody without bail pending his trial.
SALT LAKE CITY — A recently retired battalion chief for the Salt Lake City Fire Department arrested over the weekend and accused of purchasing and downloading child sex abuse material is now facing formal charges.
Kelly J. Carter, 51, was charged Tuesday in 3rd District Court with 10 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, a second-degree felony.
Carter was hired in 2000 and retired on Dec. 15, 2025. He was arrested on Friday.
"While the investigation proceeds, the department will cooperate with any law enforcement requests. We are committed to maintaining public trust and upholding the values of accountability and transparency," the fire department said in a statement Monday.
On Jan. 22, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received a tip "regarding a cryptocurrency account making a transaction with a wallet associated with a site that was known to sell child sexual abuse material," according to a police booking affidavit.
That account information was then forwarded to the Utah Internet Crimes Against Children task force. Investigators contacted Carter on Thursday, and he "admitted to purchasing a subscription to the site with intent to view child sex abuse material," the affidavit alleges. "Kelly Carter admitted to viewing the child sex abuse material on his iPhone only while he was at work for the month the subscription was active. Kelly Carter was a firefighter at the time and explained he worked 48-hour shifts and worked 10 days a month, so he viewed the child sex abuse material 10 days that month."
Carter admitted to viewing the material that month only, but a search of his cellphone "revealed hundreds of images of child sex abuse material," according to charging documents.
"There is at least one CSAM image dated back to 2020," the affidavit says. "Kelly Carter has been viewing child sex abuse material for at least six years."
Prosecutors have requested that Carter remain in custody without the possibility of posting bail pending his trial.
