Kevin Robert Christensen

Sources

1. Box Elder County judge arrested on multiple child sex abuse charges, FOX 13, March 7, 2025.
2. New charges: Box Elder judge & fire chief shared child porn, fantasies of molestation with each other, FOX 13 Salt Lake City, March 11, 2025.
3. Communities ‘reeling’ after arrests of fire chief, judge, KSL TV, March 12, 2025.
4. Ex-Box Elder County judge pleads not guilty to child sex charges, FOX 13 (Salt Lake City, Utah), July 3, 2025.
5. Former Box Elder County judge asks court for bail on child sex charges, KUTV, October 2, 2025.
6. Daughter of Utah ex-judge acused of child sex crimes breaks silence, KUTV (Utah), October 2, 2025.
7. UPDATE: Former Utah judge allegedly sent child's LDS directory photo to adult for rape fantasy, FLOODLIT, October 2, 2025.

• 1. Box Elder County judge arrested on multiple child sex abuse charges

  • 7 Mar 2025
  • News article
  • FOX 13

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  BRIGHAM CITY, Utah — A judge in Box Elder County has been arrested and faces multiple child sex charges after evidence allegedly shows that he distributed and received child sex abuse material online.

  Kevin Robert Christensen, 64, was arrested Thursday following an investigation by the FBI's Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force. Christensen is currently listed as a judge with the Box Elder County Justice Court overseeing cases involving Class B misdemeanor offenses and lower crimes.

  According to the arrest documents, the FBI was informed on Feb. 28 of someone communicating online with others about "sexually abusing children, sexually exploiting children, and enticing children."

  In a November chat recovered from Christensen's online account, the judge believed he was speaking with a 13-year-old girl and engaged in sexually graphic conversation, and also sent a video of an adult male performing a sexual act. Following more sexually explicit conversation, Christensen allegedly told the child that the chat was "merely fantasy."

  During another chat in September, Christensen engaged in more sexually graphic conversations with someone who said they were a 16-year-old girl.

  The arrest documents added that there was evidence that Christensen "communicated with multiple underage people online. In other chats with adults he expresses sexual interest in young children and solicits [Child Sexual Abuse Material] from those people." He allegedly claimed in chats to have sexually abused children with whom he was related,

  "The position of trust he holds in the community and the actions he undertook while in this position significantly undermine the confidence of the community in the legitimacy of the criminal justice system," the report said.

  Christensen, who was appointed to the Box Elder County court in May 1996, was booked into the Davis County Jail following his arrest. He faces several charges, including enticing a minor and attempted sexual exploitation of a minor.

  Box Elder County has placed Christensen on administrative leave without pay.

• 2. New charges: Box Elder judge & fire chief shared child porn, fantasies of molestation with each other

  • 11 Mar 2025
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  • FOX 13 Salt Lake City

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  BRIGHAM CITY, Utah — After two public servants in Box Elder County were charged with offenses involving child sexual abuse, new findings show that the pair had a sexual relationship with one another, shared child pornography, and discussed fantasies of abusing children together.

  Both men were charged earlier this year. First, Tremonton Fire Chief Ned Brady Hansen was accused of possessing and sharing child porn. Then Box Elder County Judge Kevin Robert Christensen was charged with similar offenses.

  In a search warrant filed by FBI agents investigating Hansen's case, they said they learned that Hansen was often sharing child porn with other users online and discussing twisted fantasies. According to the report, they learned that one of the people Hansen was chatting online with was Christensen.

  Investigators also learned from the chats that Hansen and Christensen had met up in real life and engaged in sexual acts. They also allegedly discussed fantasies of sexually abusing children together.

  They also discovered that when Hansen was arrested, law enforcement had requested that he be held without bail — but Christensen denied the request and allowed Hansen to be released.

  A warrant was issued for Hansen's re-arrest, and he was booked into the Weber County Jail on Tuesday. Christensen was booked into Davis County last week. They are both still in custody.

• 3. Communities ‘reeling’ after arrests of fire chief, judge

  • 12 Mar 2025
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  • KSL TV

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  BOX ELDER COUNTY, Utah — In light of allegations that a former Tremonton Fire Chief and a Justice Court Judge were involved in sharing child pornography, people in Tremonton and Brigham City are struggling with what many consider to be a betrayal of public trust.

  “It’s a surprise to all of us,” Henry Hernandez, a Tremonton resident said. “You’re looking up to these people to take care of our community, take care of our kids.”

  Now former Tremonton Fire Chief, Ned Brady Hansen, 54, was initially booked into the Box Elder County jail in January, accused of distribution of “child abuse material,” according to charging documents.

  At the time, Judge Kevin Christensen presided over Hansen’s case and released him on bail, despite requests from arresting officers that he be held without bail.

  According to further charging documents, investigators later discovered explicit chats on Hansen’s phone with Judge Christensen, where the two shared desires to abuse and “share” child victims.

  Both men are now behind bars, accused of sharing child pornography. Christensen is also accused of enticing minors over the internet and obstructing justice by failing to disclose his relationship with Hansen before presiding over his bail hearing.

  “We have little kids and we walk by his house every day,” Briann Olsen said of Christensen. “What do you say? It’s disgusting. It’s hard. It’s sad. It’s humiliating for his family.”

  Tremonton City Manager, Bill Cobabe said today that the city is doing it’s best to try and help the community mend, while re-building trust in government.

  “Our whole community is kind of reeling on this,” Cobabe said. “We’re just trying to make sense of everything. This is a tough day.”

• 4. Ex-Box Elder County judge pleads not guilty to child sex charges

  • 3 Jul 2025
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  • FOX 13 (Salt Lake City, Utah)

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  OGDEN, Utah — Former Box Elder County Judge Kevin Christensen pleaded not guilty on Thursday to all nine child sex charges that were brought against him earlier this year.

  Christensen appeared in an Ogden courtroom where he entered his plea and waived his right to a preliminary hearing. He is charged with 3 counts of Enticing a Minor, 3 counts of Attempted Exploitation of a Minor, 2 counts of Dealing in Material Harmful to a Minor and one count of Obstruction of Justice.

  The former judge was arrested in early March following an investigation by the FBI's Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force. Christensen was arrested after evidence allegedly showed that he distributed and received child sex abuse material online.

  In a chat recovered from Christensen's online account, the judge believed he was speaking with a 13-year-old girl and engaged in sexually graphic conversation, and also sent a video of an adult male performing a sexual act.

  Box Elder judge and fire chief shared child porn, fantasies of molestation with each other:

  Christensen, who was appointed to the Box Elder County court in May 1996, allegedly had a sexual relationship with former Tremonton Fire Chief Ned Brady Hansen, who was also arrested on charges. On Wednesday, an additional charge of Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Child was filed against Hansen.

  When Hansen was first arrested, he was originally allowed to be released on bail by Christensen. Both men allegedly shared child pornography with each other and discussed fantasies of abusing children together.

  Christensen is next scheduled to appear in court on Aug. 21.

• 5. Former Box Elder County judge asks court for bail on child sex charges

  • 2 Oct 2025
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  • KUTV

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  OGDEN, Utah (KUTV) — A former northern Utah judge has asked to be released more than six months after he was arrested for child sex crimes.

  Kevin Christensen, who held a black-robed position of trust for decades, was brought to an Ogden courtroom, shackled and in a jail jumpsuit.

  Christensen's lawyer, Ryan Bushell, said the defense has not been provided pertinent case information requested weeks ago and asserted, in a court filing, that Christensen would comply with court-ordered conditions for his release pending trial.

  Thursday, Bushell moved to push back a bail hearing for nearly two more weeks. Prosecutors have argued against release, saying, among other things, that Christensen would be a danger to children.

  Earlier, defense counsel said there could be a plea deal for the alleged crimes, which include two counts of enticing a minor on the Internet, dealing in materials harmful to a minor, and attempted sexual exploitation of a minor.

  Investigators also said Christensen and former Tremonton Fire Chief Ned Brady Hansen had discussions about child sex abuse.

  Hansen was fired from his job after his child sex abuse materials allegations surfaced. Among Hansen's charges are eight counts of aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor. His case was also continued on Thursday.

  Both Christensen and Hansen seemed to get no preferential treatment, as they waited in a courthouse holding room for their turns in a stream of shackled defendants in felony court cases.

  Christensen is also accused of trying to thwart the investigation into the allegations against him. He resigned from the bench soon after his arrest.

• 6. Daughter of Utah ex-judge acused of child sex crimes breaks silence

  • 2 Oct 2025
  • News article
  • KUTV (Utah)

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  OGDEN, Utah (KUTV) — A daughter of former Utah Judge Kevin Christensen, jailed for roughly six months on child sex crimes accusations, is breaking her silence and proclaiming she's broken up with members of her own family over the allegations.

  “Instead of him being behind the bench, it's him in front, in handcuffs,” said the young woman, minutes after Christensen appeared in court again Thursday. “It's disappointing, and (I’m) angry, and sad. And honestly all the emotions."

  She did not want to be identified, but others with knowledge of the family confirmed she was adopted by Christensen and his wife when she was a baby.

  His charges include enticing a minor on the internet and attempted sexual exploitation of a minor.

  "We can't have it in our lives," she said. "It's the only way I can protect my kids."

  Christensen’s lawyer made no comments after the latest short court hearing, but earlier said Christensen is deeply sorry for “alleged crimes he may have committed” — and that he loves his family.

  “Nobody knew. Nobody had a clue. No signs. Nothing,” the adopted daughter said of Christensen’s alleged crimes.

  2News noted that, so far, Christensen has not been convicted of anything.

  "I get innocent until proven guilty, but he was a judge," said the daughter, who no longer calls Christensen her father. "He was a member of the LDS Church. He was a father. He was a grandfather. I mean, he saw his grandkids and his kids every day."

  Christensen wants to be released from jail as he awaits more proceedings. His attorney said pertinent information in the case has not been produced to the defense.

  An expected courtroom bail discussion was continued Thursday — as was the case for former Tremonton Fire Chief Ned Brady Hansen, who also faces child sex crimes charges, including accusations he was on chats discussing child sexual abuse.

• 7. UPDATE: Former Utah judge allegedly sent child's LDS directory photo to adult for rape fantasy

  • 2 Oct 2025
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  • FLOODLIT

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  Floodlit has obtained court documents in the case of former Utah judge Kevin Christensen, who recently requested to be released from custody as he continues to face child sex crime charges.

  Prosecutors say Christensen got a young child’s photo from his LDS church directory and sent it to an adult while discussing a rape fantasy.

  Case report – Kevin Christensen, former judge: https://floodlit.org/a/b191/
  Case report – Brady Hansen, former fire chief: https://floodlit.org/a/b192/
  KUTV report: https://kutv.com/news/local/daughter-of-utah-ex-judge-acused-of-child-sex-crimes-breaks-silence

  Judge’s bail request on hold

  Former Judge Kevin Christensen, a Mormon, appeared in court today requesting bail. No decision was made in regards to his request; that was continued to a later date.

  The state filed a motion in opposition to Christensen receiving bail. They claim Christensen is a risk to the public because he would have access everywhere.

  Christensen allegedly deleted CSAM to hide evidence after the investigation began, and allegedly downloaded a picture of a child from his online LDS church directory and sent it to an adult with whom he discussed a rape fantasy.

  A Young Child’s Photo

  Here is a portion of the state’s memorandum in opposition to Christensen’s motion to release, which Floodlit has obtained thanks to your support. It was filed today.

  “In this case, the Defendant’s risk he poses to children in the community is immense.

  “In his conversations with adults and minors alike, Defendant describes CSAM he has viewed in the past which depicts children being raped and sodomized by adults. Defendant requests that other adults send him CSAM and directs them to use encrypted applications to avoid law enforcement detection.

  “Defendant requests that minors produce CSAM and send it to him. Defendant sends pornography to minors (or people he believes to be minors). Defendant engages in rape fantasies with other adults and discusses his desire to kidnap and rape a young child who lives in his neighborhood with this other adult.

  “As part of this rape fantasy the Defendant sends a picture of this child, which the Defendant downloaded from Defendant’s virtual church directory, to the adult.

  “Defendant asks another adult internet user to describe how that other adult has sexually abused children. Defendant also describes how he has previously sexually abused children under the age of five. Further investigation by the State has revealed that there is evidence that the Defendant has been engaging in the distribution of CSAM for at least the past four years.

  “All of this shows that regardless of the setting, the Defendant fantasizes and acts out on his sexual fantasies about the sexual abuse of children. Whether at church or in his own home, the Defendant fantasizes about the sexual abuse of children he comes into contact with. When there are no children physically present, the Defendant gains access to children through the internet.

  “Even when not communicating with actual children, the Defendant engages in the receipt and distribution of CSAM, which victimizes real children and which reinforces the Defendant’s criminal sexual attitudes towards children.”
  Former family member speaks out

  His adopted daughter publicly disowned him when interviewed outside the courthouse by KUTV. She spoke of breaking up with family members over the allegations. She said, “We can’t have it in our lives. It’s the only way I can protect my kids.”

  She also said, “He was a member of the LDS church.”

  Christensen was charged with three counts of enticing a minor, three counts of attempted exploitation of a minor, two counts of dealing in material harmful to a minor (CSAM), and one count of obstruction of justice.

  Unfortunately, we have documented many cases in which courageous survivors, reporters or their family members faced severe repercussions in their families or their communities.

  For example, at the recent sentencing of former BYU baseball pitcher Candon Dahle in Idaho, multiple family members of the victim spoke of strained or broken family relationships resulting from their insistence on pursuing justice on behalf of the victim.

  Candon Dahle case report: https://floodlit.org/a/b168/

  Floodlit has received numerous reports from victims and family members who have reported losing relationships with family members because they too supported holding perpetrators accountable for sexual abuse crimes, within the justice system.
  Related case: Ned Brady Hansen, former fire chief

  A related case is that of Ned Brady Hansen, former fire chief in Tremonton, Utah. He faces charges after accusations that he discussed ways to sexually abuse children, including extended family members, with Christensen.

  Even though Hansen may no longer be active in the Mormon church, Floodlit has received information regarding credible allegations that he perpetrated abuse while active in the LDS church, which is why we have him listed.

  If you knew either of these men, please contact us. https://floodlit.org/contact/