BOX ELDER COUNTY — The chief of the Tremonton Fire Department has been arrested for allegedly sharing child pornography. Ned Brady Hansen, 54, was booked into the Box Elder County Jail on Monday afternoon.
According to an arrest affidavit, the Brigham City Police Department received a cyber-tip in November from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. It described how an individual in the county had been detected to be sharing child pornography through a social media app.
The report identified the account, bret00007777, as having shared videos and images of child sexual abuse material. The videos and photos consisted of a 10-12 year old female naked and engaged in sexual activities.
Police were able to obtain a warrant and track the account to an email address and phone number, both registered to Hansen. An IP address was also tracked to his home in Garland.
On Jan. 27, police served a search warrant on Hansen’s residence and took him into custody. They also seized several phones and tablets to be forensically processed.
During an interview with police, Hansen reportedly admitted to possessing the child sexual abuse material on his phone. He also confessed to being the account subscriber.
Police noted that Hansen stated he was unsure if he had shared the videos with other users or received them from other users, but sharing content was something that he engaged in, the probable cause statement detailed.
According to jail records, Hansen was booked on suspicion of eight counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, a second-degree felony, one count for each file allegedly shared. Formal charges are pending the completion of the investigation.
Individuals arrested and charged in complaints are presumed innocent unless or until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.