A Utah judge has been arrested on multiple child sex crimes charges, and investigators are looking into comments he allegedly made saying he had sexual abused child family members in the past.
First District Justice Court Judge Kevin Christensen, 64, is being investigated for enticing a minor in sexual activity, dealing in materials harmful to a minor, and attempted sexual exploitation of a minor, KUTV reports.
An affidavit says that FBI investigators began investigating Christensen on February 28 when they were made aware of a Box Elder County man using an app to talk about sexually abusing, exploiting, and enticing children.
The affidavit says that Christensen was also chatting with children and sending them explicit photos.
In one conversation, on the app KIK, Christensen talked with a user who told him she was 13, KSL reported. He “directs the conversation towards sexual topics and engages in graphic sexual chats with the child, the affidavit says.
In another chat with a girl who said she was 16, Christensen engaged in a “graphic sexual conversation” and apparently sent her explicit photos of himself, although investigators were unable to see the photos.
In conversations with adults, he solicited child sexual abuse material and discussed his sexual interests in young children. He made several references in those chats to sexually abusing relative children, the affidavit says.
A judge granted an order to hold the judge without bail after police indicated that he was a strong candidate to flee.
Christensen was appointed to the bench in Box Elder County in 1996, KUTV reported.
