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- Ogden High School resource officer Colten Scott Johansen, 55, has been arrested and accused of sexual exploitation of a minor.
- The investigation revealed alleged misconduct, including tampering with evidence and possession of inappropriate images, leading to his termination.
- No formal charges have been filed. Investigators say he took home child sexual abuse material evidence "for his personal gain."
OGDEN — A resource officer at Ogden High School was arrested by Davis County sheriff's deputies Thursday and accused of sexual exploitation of a minor.
Ogden police officer Colten Scott Johansen, 55, was booked into the Davis County Jail for investigation of 10 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, tampering with evidence and official misconduct related to case file evidence that police say was recovered from his home.
"Based on the information currently available, the conduct in question did not occur while officer Johansen was acting in his capacity as a school resource officer. Our investigation has nevertheless revealed sufficient information to warrant his termination," according to a statement from Ogden police.
On Oct. 16, the Ogden Police Department discovered that Johansen "made a series of disclosures to an outside law enforcement agency which implicated his involvement in criminal conduct." The department said it turned the criminal investigation over to the Davis County Sheriff's Office and initiated an internal affairs investigation.
Earlier this month, Johansen was "undergoing a polygraph examination for a lateral position related to school security" and "disclosed incidents that are criminal in nature," according to a police booking affidavit.
The officer said he had taken a box of case files to his Huntsville home that contained images of adults and children in various states of nudity and would "remove those items containing those images" and pleasure himself, the affidavit alleges. A search warrant was served at his home and a box with case files was recovered from Johansen's garage.
An Internet Crimes Against Children task force detective reviewed CDs that were part of those files and "confirmed hundreds of images" that contain child sexual abuse material. "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," according to the affidavit.
As of Friday, no formal criminal charges have been filed against Johansen.
Johansen assisted with the law enforcement response last year at Ogden High School when a call came in alleging an active shooter was inside the school. Later, he and other officers who had responded to the incident were publicly lauded by students and staff for their quick response in securing the school. Similar calls were made that day, March 29, 2023, to other Utah schools, all of them deemed to be hoaxes.
Ogden School District spokesman Jer Bates said Johansen has been replaced with another school resource officer and district counselors are available to provide support to students or family members who need it. "We understand this news may raise concerns within our school community, and we want to address those concerns with care and sensitivity," Bates said.
Contributing: Tim Vandenack
