Summary
Kevin Christensen was a Mormon church member and judge in Brigham City, Utah.
UPDATE Mar. 12, 2025: This case is related to that of Ned Brady Hansen; Christensen and Hansen are accused of taking part in online chats together in which they discussed ways they could perpetrate sexual abuse on children.
Thanks to your donations, we’ve obtained court documents in this case.
FLOODLIT received reports from three individuals who told us they attended the same Mormon church building as Christensen in approximately 2015, and that he was attending the Brigham City 8th Ward at that time. The individuals asked to remain anonymous.
Two said Christensen was a stake high council member in Brigham City sometime prior to 2010. The other said he was regularly attending Latter-day Saint church meetings from at least 2007 to 2019.
We are seeking information regarding Christensen’s status in the LDS church as of late 2024, at the time of his alleged sex crimes.
The following is a brief summary of the charges in his criminal case.
In March 2025, Christensen, a 64-year-old judge serving in Box Elder County Justice Court, was arrested Thursday after an FBI investigation linked him to the distribution and receipt of child sexual abuse material online. Christensen, who adjudicates Class B misdemeanors and minor offenses, is now facing serious allegations stemming from his alleged online activities.
The investigation, led by the FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, began after a February 28 tip revealed an individual discussing the sexual abuse, exploitation, and enticement of children on the internet.
Prosecutors allege that in a November 2024 online conversation, Christensen, believing he was chatting with a 13-year-old girl, sent a video of an adult male engaged in a sexual act and exchanged explicit messages. He later dismissed the interaction as “merely fantasy,” according to court documents.
Records also detail a September 2024 chat where Christensen allegedly engaged in sexually explicit dialogue with someone claiming to be a 16-year-old girl.
Further evidence suggests Christensen communicated with multiple minors online and, in conversations with adults, expressed a sexual interest in young children while soliciting child sexual abuse material, a probable cause statement says.
Christensen allegedly bragged about sexually abusing children related to him in these exchanges.
Authorities noted that Christensen’s position of authority as a judge amplifies the harm of his alleged actions, stating, “His role in the community and the behavior he exhibited while holding this position severely erode public trust in the justice system.”
Appointed to the court in May 1996, Christensen has been suspended without pay by Box Elder County.
He was booked into Davis County Jail, charged with offenses including enticing a minor and attempted sexual exploitation of a minor.
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Donate »Facts
- Criminal: Ongoing,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Positions: Stake high council,
- During alleged crime: Unknown position,
- When accused: Unknown position,
- Alleged crime: 2020s, in Utah,
- Crime scenes: Online,
- Victims: 2 victims,
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Born: 1960
- AKA Judge Christensen
- Mission: unknown
- Locations: Utah,
Sources
- Box Elder County judge arrested on multiple child sex abuse charges,
- New charges: Box Elder judge & fire chief shared child porn, fantasies of molestation with each other,
- Communities ‘reeling’ after arrests of fire chief, judge,
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1. Box Elder County judge arrested on multiple child sex abuse charges
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.
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2. New charges: Box Elder judge & fire chief shared child porn, fantasies of molestation with each other
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.
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3. Communities ‘reeling’ after arrests of fire chief, judge
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.”
Documents
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Criminal case documents
FLOODLIT has a copy of a related probable cause affidavit, but it is not currently available for download. Please check back soon or contact us to request an copy.Civil case documents
We do not know of any related civil cases, so no related civil case documents exist. If you have information that suggests otherwise, please contact us.