Tim Vandenack covers immigration, multicultural issues and Northern Utah for KSL. He worked several years for the Standard-Examiner in Ogden and has lived and reported in Mexico, Chile and along the U.S.-Mexico border.
OGDEN — Ogden Police Chief Jake Sube issued a scathing statement Thursday blasting the conduct of the former police officer jailed for sexual wrongdoing and the punishment he received, a month after the man's sentencing.
"Former officer Colten Johansen's conduct was indefensible. It was a serious violation of the law, department policy and the public's trust. It was entirely inconsistent with the standards of the Ogden City Police Department and the law enforcement profession," Sube said in the statement, posted to the Ogden Police Department Facebook page Thursday.He also criticized the sentence handed down on Feb. 27 by 2nd District Judge Catharine Conklin, 30 days of jail and a suspended prison sentence."The outcome in this case does not reflect the seriousness of the criminal conduct and falls far short of the accountability the public and this profession should expect. That outcome was not the result this department sought, and it is not one we support," Sube said. "The protection of victims, especially children, is not just a priority for this agency; it is our most fundamental responsibility, and we will act immediately and decisively whenever trust is violated."Conklin's office didn't immediately respond to a query seeking comment.Johansen, charged in October 2024, pleaded guilty on Dec. 4 to two counts of attempted sexual exploitation of a minor for viewing or possessing child pornography in 2024 and a count of forcible sexual abuse, all second-degree felonies. The sexual exploitation charges stemmed from material Johansen had at his home that Ogden police had collected as part of their investigations into sexual abuse cases involving children, an investigative area previously handled by the former officer. The forcible sexual abuse count stemmed from a sexual act by Johansen involving a child in 1994.The crimes came to light while Johansen was taking a polygraph test in October 2024 as part of the application process for another law enforcement job. He had been serving as school resource officer at Ogden High, but when police officials learned what he had said, he was placed on leave, Sube said in his statement, "and terminated within days." Sube said Johansen's certification as a law enforcement officer has been revoked.Apart from stressing the action Ogden police took to remove Johansen from duty and refer him for a criminal investigation, Sube criticized testimony from former Ogden Police Chief Randy Watt
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