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Records detail criminal case against Trolley Square officer
This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2009, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

When a 17-year-old girl walked outside her apartment in 2005, then-Ogden police officer Ken Hammond asked her name and age, showed her a picture of his newborn son, and then jumped to another subject.

"He was just kinda ... like 'You're beautiful,' " according to a transcript of an investigator's interview with the girl, "he's like, 'And you've got extremely beautiful breasts.' He's like, 'Can I see them?' "

A few hours later, she gave Hammond -- who was on duty and in uniform -- oral sex while he groped an 18-year-old girl, according to documents released this month by the Weber County Attorney's Office.

The pages give the first detailed version of what prosecutors and witnesses say happened that night. They also reveal Hammond's heroics at Trolley Square nearly two years later helped unearth the sex allegations.

"I see his picture on TV ... and I kinda started to freak out a little bit," the 17-year-old told investigators.

In March, Hammond pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor count of sexual battery for the sex act with the 17-year-old and is serving a 90-day jail term. He also must serve one year of probation and pay for her counseling. Hammond will not have to register as a sex offender. He has resigned from the Ogden police force.

Hammond's attorney, Brenda Beaton of Hutchison, Neider & Beaton, said via e-mail that Hammond denies the encounter occurred with the women. "Mr. Hammond has maintained all along that he did not engage in any activities with either of these women," Beaton wrote.

The Salt Lake Tribune does not generally identify victims of sexual assault.

The night of July 11, 2005, Hammond arrived at an Ogden apartment complex to investigate a noise complaint. The loud people outside left before Hammond arrived, but Hammond talked with the 18-year-old girl who called with the complaint, documents say.

The 17-year-old then came outside and showed Hammond her breasts as he requested, she told investigators.

Hammond, then 32 years old, wrote down the phone number of the older girl and left, the victim told investigators. But a few hours later, he called and asked if he could return, she said.

The teenagers agreed and Hammond went into the 18-year-old's apartment, according to the documents and information from Hammond's court appearances. The 17-year-old was staying with the older teen.

After some flirting among the three, the talk turned to sex, the 17-year-old told investigators. The older teen suggested she give Hammond oral sex.

"He was like, 'Yeah, that sounds like a good time,'" the girl told investigators.

As the younger teenager was performing on Hammond, he reached up and groped the 18-year-old, according to the documents.

After about 45 minutes in the apartment, the 17-year-old told police, Hammond said he had to go and left. In the passing months, she said, she only told a few friends and family members about her liaison with a police officer but did not give Hammond's name.

Twice after the liaison, Hammond pulled over the girl as she drove, the documents say. The second time, she had been drinking, but Hammond let her go without issuing a citation or a sobriety test, according to the documents.

The sex came to light in October 2008 when Riverdale police stopped the victim for driving under the influence. As police were administering a sobriety test, the now-20 year old said she did not trust cops, according to documents. She told the Riverdale officers about her liaison with Hammond. Those officers called Ogden police.

The woman pleaded guilty in February to a misdemeanor count of drunk driving. She was sentenced to 18 months of probation and a $1,400 fine. Neither the victim nor her attorney responded to requests for interviews.

The county attorney's office researched Ogden police computer records and confirmed Hammond looked up the victim and her vehicles in a criminal database, the documents show. An investigator flew to Virginia to interview one witness and found other witnesses who were able to corroborate most of the victim's story.

ncarlisle@sltrib.com

Heroics at Trolley Square

Ken Hammond was off duty at Trolley Square with his pregnant wife on Feb. 12, 2007, when a gunman began shooting shoppers and patrons. Hammond ran to the sound of gunfire, drew his pistol and exchanged fire with the gunman. A SWAT team shot and killed the gunman, but Hammond was credited with preventing further loss of life.

Accusations » A drunk driving arrest exposed the claims against Ken Hammond.
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