OGDEN — Kevin Robert Christensen, a former First District Court judge in Box Elder County, has pleaded guilty to multiple felony charges stemming from a sweeping child sexual exploitation investigation that also ensnared a former local fire chief.
According to court records, Christensen entered his guilty plea to one count of enticing a minor and two counts of dealing in materials harmful to a minor. The plea was part of a negotiated agreement that resulted in the dismissal of several other remaining charges.
Following his arrest and after being placed on administrative leave by the Utah State Courts, Christensen officially resigned from the bench in March 2025. He is scheduled to be sentenced in the Ogden 2nd District Court on June 8.
The extensive criminal probe into Christensen uncovered a disturbing connection with Ned Brady Hansen, the former fire chief of Tremonton City. According to charging documents, the two high-profile public officials maintained a sexual relationship and communicated extensively prior to their simultaneous arrests in January 2025.
Investigators discovered that Christensen and Hansen utilized the digital messaging application Kik to coordinate and discuss child sexual abuse material. A thorough forensic review of Christensen’s digital footprint revealed multiple highly concerning chat threads. In one specific instance on Nov. 2, 2024, police reported that Christensen communicated with a user claiming to be a 13-year-old girl. During that exchange, the former judge reportedly engaged in graphic, sexually explicit conversations with the child and transmitted a graphic video to her.
The investigation into Hansen yielded similarly severe allegations. The former fire chief was arrested on Jan. 27, 2025, following the execution of a search warrant at his residence. In March 2025, Hansen was formally charged with eight counts of first-degree felony aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor. An FBI investigator assigned to the case stated that Hansen distributed child sexual abuse material on six separate occasions and frequently engaged in sexually explicit communications regarding children.
Hansen’s legal challenges compounded on July 2, when he was charged in a separate, independent case with aggravated sexual abuse of a child. Court records from that secondary investigation allege that the former fire chief repeatedly abused a minor who had placed him in a “position of special trust.” He is scheduled to appear again in court April 30.