CRIME

Ogden police school resource officer arrested for sexual exploitation of a minor

Oct 24, 2024, 9:20 PM | Updated: Oct 25, 2024, 6:36 pm

OGDEN — A school resource officer for the Ogden Police Department has been fired after allegations of sexually exploiting a minor and tampering with evidence on Thursday.

In a press release, the department was informed of criminal allegations against 55-year-old Colten Johansen, an Ogden school resource officer, from another law enforcement agency.

According to arrest documents, Johansen underwent a “polygraph examination for a lateral position related to school security” on Oct. 8. During the examination, Johansen disclosed “incidents that are criminal in nature.”

The documents stated that Johansen took a box of case files from evidence that contained images of “adults and children in various states of nudity” to his home for “his personal gain.”

According to the documents, police obtained a search warrant for Johansen’s home on Thursday and found the box containing the case files, leading to his arrest.

“Upon learning of these disclosures, a criminal case was immediately opened and referred to the Davis County Sheriff’s Office,” the Ogden police press release stated. Johansen was arrested Thursday on “several criminal charges, including sexual exploitation of a minor, tampering with evidence, and official misconduct,” according to the department.

The police department said an internal affairs investigation was initiated and found that Johansen’s alleged activities did not happen when acting as a school resource officer.

“The Ogden Police Department remains dedicated to upholding the trust placed in us by the public. We are committed to full transparency and ensuring that the community we serve can continue to rely on the professionalism and ethical conduct of its employees,” the department stated.

On Friday, the Ogden School District responded, emphasizing that there was no indication Johansen was committing the alleged crimes in connection with his role at Ogden High School. Further, the district called on the community to “refrain from speculation.”

We are aware of the arrest of former Ogden Police Officer Colten Johansen and the ongoing criminal investigation led 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.
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 student or family who may have concerns or feel impacted by this situation.
We respect the investigative process and appreciate the swift action taken by the Ogden Police Department in cooperating fully with authorities. While we understand that there may be questions and a desire for further details, we encourage everyone to refrain from speculation and to allow law enforcement to continue their work.
Our priority remains the emotional and physical well-being of our students and employees, and we will continue to offer support to anyone distressed by this situation.

Stephanie Dinsmore, a spokesperson for Davis County Sheriff’s Office, said Johansen has over 30 years of experience. Prior to being a school resource officer, he investigated special victims cases, Dinsmore said.

“At this time, we don’t have any reason to believe that the evidence that he was maintaining contained children that he had worked with in his capacity as a school resource officer,” Dinsmore said.

She also confirmed that detectives working on Johansen’s case are not affiliated with Weber County or Ogden law enforcement in order to avoid bias.

The Davis County Sheriff’s Office confirmed to KSL TV that Johansen posted a $100,000 cash bail and is out of jail.


Contributing: Mary Culbertson, KSL TV

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Ogden police school resource officer arrested for sexual exploitation of a minor