This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A former school teacher and Boy Scout leader — charged with possessing child porn,as well as sexually abusing a child more than 30 years ago — on Friday waived his right to preliminary hearings in both cases.
Kenneth William Prince, 61, is charged in 2nd District Court with two counts of first-degree felony aggravated sexual abuse of a child in one case, and five counts of sexual exploitation of a minor in the other case.
A disposition hearing in both cases is set for Feb. 5.
The alleged victim, now 42 years old, told a South Ogden police officer that Prince performed sexual acts on him multiple times when he was between 12 and 17 years old, according to a probable cause statement filed in court.
During an interview with police, Prince allegedly admitted to sexually abusing the child, according to court documents. Prince also allegedly admitted he was in a position of trust in relation to the child, a factor used by prosecutors to enhance the severity of the alleged crimes to first-degree felonies.
Prince was initially arrested in September after images of child pornography were allegedly found on his home computer. He was charged with the exploitation of a minor counts on Sept. 25.
The next day, after bailing out of jail, the former science teacher tried to kill himself by ingesting mercury, according to police.
The suicide attempt delayed Prince's initial court appearance in the child porn case because health officials recommended he be quarantined to prevent the risk of contaminating others, according to court documents.
Prince was employed as a teacher at South Ogden Junior High School from 1979 to 2008. Police said he also had been a Boy Scout leader for many years in the South Ogden area.