SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, June 17, 2026 (Gephardt Daily) — A sentencing date has been set for a former Salt Lake City Fire Department employee who pleaded guilty to single count of sexual exploitation of a minor as a second-degree felony.
In exchange for the guilty plea, nine identical charges against Kelly Jay Carter were dismissed with prejudice.
Carter’s sentencing is set for Aug. 11 of this year before Third District Judge Chelsea Koch in West Jordan.
Carter, now 52, was a SLCFD battalion chief who retired on Dec. 15, 2025 after more than 25 years with the department.
On Feb. 6 of this year, Carter was charged with the 10 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor after officials got a CyberTipline report regarding a cryptocurrency account was linked with a website known for selling child abuse materials. The account was linked to Carter.
“Kelly Carter admitted to viewing the CSAM on his iPhone only while he was at work for the month the subscription was active,” court documents say. “Kelly Carter was a firefighter at the time and explained he worked 48-hour shifts and worked 10 days a month, so he viewed the CSAM 10 days that month.”
The forensic investigation resulted in evidence of hundreds of files of CSAM found on Carter’s iPhone.
