Ex-judge pleads guilty to 3 felony charges in sexual misconduct case

OGDEN — A former justice court judge from Box Elder County accused of sexually enticing two minors and sharing disturbing chats with a Tremonton fire chief about sexually abusing children pleaded guilty to three felony charges in his case, and five others have been dropped.

Kevin Robert Christensen, 65, appeared in 2nd District Court Thursday, where he pleaded guilty to enticing a minor using the internet and two counts of dealing in materials harmful to a minor, all third-degree felonies. As part of a plea deal with prosecutors, five other charges he faced were dropped, reflected in new charging documents showing just the three counts.

Christensen, 65, charged last year in 1st District Court, had faced eight counts in all, including two counts of enticing a minor using the internet, one a second-degree felony and one a third-degree felony. He also faced three counts of attempted aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor and a count of obstruction of justice, second-degree felonies, and two counts of dealing in materials harmful to a minor, a third-degree felony.

"The defendant pleaded guilty to three felony child sex abuse crimes. On that basis, we amended the charges to better reflect the state of the evidence in the case. We are seeking prison time, and the defendant will be on the sex-offender registry," the Utah Attorney General's Office said in a statement. "The office of the Utah attorney general takes all crimes against children with the utmost seriousness and will continue to aggressively prosecute individuals who harm children."

Christensen is being held in the Davis County Jail, and he appeared Thursday in court in a gray-and-white striped prison jumpsuit with shackles around his waist, wrists and ankles. He said little during his appearance, entering guilty pleas on the three charges and affirming that he understood the proceedings.

Sentencing will be held June 8. Per terms of the plea deal, the Utah Attorney General's Office has agreed with the defense to recommend that the sentences for the charges run concurrently, according to Christensen's attorney, Ryan Bushell. The final determination, though, will be left to Judge Catherine Conklin, presiding over the case.

Among those present for Thursday's short hearing, which lasted around six minutes, were a woman who identified herself as Christensen's "former adopted daughter" and her backers. Afterward, the woman, who asked that her name not be used, expressed disappointment that five charges Christensen faced are to be dropped.

"Honestly, I have no words for it. ... Personally, I was not talked to about it, and so it is heartbreaking for me," said the woman. She said she and her kids were "extremely close" to the man, but not now.

Third-degree felonies are punishable by zero to five years imprisonment and fines of up to $5,000, according to Utah law. The woman hopes Christensen gets the maximum punishment possible.

Christensen served as a justice court judge in Box Elder County Justice Court in Brigham City in March 2025 when he was arrested on the varied charges. He resigned shortly after being charged, and his case was moved from 1st District Court to 2nd District Court in Ogden. In October, a judge denied bail for the man, and he has remained at the Davis County Jail.

Justice court judges typically handle lower-level cases, including class B and C misdemeanors, ordinance violations and infractions, according to the Utah State Courts website. They don't need to be attorneys, though they get legal training.

The new charging documents reflecting Thursday's plea deal say Christensen engaged in sexually graphic online chats with a 13-year-old girl and a 16-year-old girl, who haven't been identified. He sent a graphic video of himself to 13-year-old and possibly sent a graphic photo of himself to the older girl, according to the charges. The documents also say he sought child sex abuse material from the 16-year-old, tried to get child sex abuse material from others and deleted chats on his electronic devices related to the varied communications.

Authorities were tipped off to the case by investigators from the FBI's Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force.

A day after Christensen was charged last year, former Tremonton Fire Chief Ned Brady Hansen was charged with eight counts of aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor, a first-degree felony. According to court records, the two shared disturbing chats about sexually abusing children.

Hansen, since fired from the firefighting post, had earlier been booked into the Box Elder County Jail on Jan. 27, 2025, after Brigham City police executing a search warrant at his home seized several devices for processing. Investigators asked a judge — Christensen — to keep Hansen in custody without the possibility of posting bail, but Christensen allowed for his release.

Turns out Christensen and Hansen, unbeknownst to authorities at the time, had engaged in sexually charged chats regarding children and engaged in a sexual relationship, according to court documents. Their alleged connection publicly came out in March of last year when both men were formally charged, and Hansen is now being held in the Weber County Jail as his case winds through the court system.

Last July, a new charge was filed against Hansen after a girl came forward saying she had been inappropriately touched by him. He was charged with aggravated sexual abuse of a child in that matter, a first-degree felony. Hansen is to return to court on April 30 for a hearing in his cases.

Correction: An earlier version incorrectly said Christensen was a 1st District judge, but should have said justice court judge in Brigham City.

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