OGDEN, Utah, Oct. 25, 2024 (Gephardt Daily) — Colten Scott Johansen, fired from the Ogden City Police Department after being investigated for crimes including alleged sexual exploitation of a minor, was interviewing for another job, talking with a polygraph operator when he “disclosed incidents that are criminal in nature,” his affidavit says.
Johansen “disclosed taking a box of case files with him as a sworn law enforcement official,” the arrest documents say. Johansen reportedly said he had taken a case file home to his residence in Huntsville.
He “further disclosed the case files contained images of both adults and children in various states of nudity.”
Johansen, 55, was subsequently investigated by the Davis County Sheriff’s Office, and was arrested Friday for investigation of 10 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, a second-degree felony; tampering with evidence, a third-degree felony; and official misconduct, a class B misdemeanor.
(Note: Johansen’s first name is spelled “Colton” in an OCPD news release, but “Colten) in court documents.
Johansen was applying for a lateral position related to security, an OCPD news release said. He had been working as the resource officer at Ogden High School.
The Ogden School District released a statement on Johansen’s arrest and criminal investigation by the Davis County Sheriff’s Office.
“We understand this news may raise concerns within our school community, and we want to address those concerns with care and sensitivity,” the district statement says.
“First and foremost, it is important to emphasize that there is currently no indication of any criminal activity involving officer Johansen in connection with his role as a school resource officer at Ogden High School.
“Our school remains committed to ensuring the safety and well being of all students. Ogden Police Department has already replaced officer Johansen with another school resource officer, and our counseling team is available to provide confidential support to any students or family who may have concerns or feel impacted by this situation.”
The statement asked people to respect the investigative process and refrain from speculation. It also said the district will continue to provide support to students and employees “distressed by this situation.”
Johansen’s affidavit further disclosed that a detective with the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force reviewed several of the located disks and “confirmed hundreds of images that contained Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM). The CSAM discovered depicted children with ages ranging from infants, prepubescent children, and post-pubescent minors.
“(Johansen) took evidence home with him and stored that within his garage, which he later reviewed.
“The evidence related to the CDs would need to be placed in a secured evidence facility located within that policing agency. (Johansen) committed official misconduct by removing sensitive case files for his personal gain.”
Johansen’s bail was set at $100,000. He is currently not listed among inmates in the Davis County Jail or Weber County Jail.
