Tremonton fire chief and Box Elder judge linked in child abuse case, documents say

BOX ELDER, Utah (ABC4) — Court documents have revealed an alleged connection between a Tremonton fire chief and sitting Box Elder County judge’s child sexual exploitation charges, stating that they were in communication and had a sexual relationship prior to their arrests.

Ned Brady Hansen was charged today, Mar. 11, in Box Elder County for eight counts of aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor, a first-degree felony. He was arrested on Jan. 27, 2025, after a search warrant was executed at his home.

Kevin Robert Christensen, a sitting judge in Box Elder County, was

similarly arrested last week on Mar. 6. He was charged with enticing a minor — first-degree felony sexual activity, two counts of dealing in materials harmful to a minor, enticing a minor — second-degree felony sexual activity, and two counts of attempted sexual exploitation of a minor.

In new documents obtained by ABC4.com, an FBI investigator provided an affidavit that connected Hansen and Christensen. The investigator refers to Hansen as the defendant and later identifies Christensen as the “other internet user.”

“The Defendant had engaged in other chats with a certain other internet user. Defendant had an extensive number of chats with this user that were graphically sexual and involved discussion of sexually abusing children,” the document reads.

Hansen and Christensen allegedly had multiple conversations where they discussed child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on the app Kik. Documents also alleged that Hansen and Christensen had a sexual relationship.

According to the investigator, Hansen had engaged in communications that were sexual in nature regarding children and distributed CSAM on six separate occasions.

In reviewing the chats from Christensen, police found “multiple chat threads of interest,” court documents state. On Nov. 2, 2024, Christensen allegedly talked with another user who claimed to be a 13-year-old girl. During the chat, police said Christensen engaged in “graphic sexual chats” with the child, in addition to sending a graphic video to her.

Utah State Courts stated, “The Chief Justice has placed Judge Christensen on administrative leave without pay while the investigation and court process continues.”

Charges are allegations only. All arrested persons are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.