OGDEN, Utah -- The bizarre tale of a former Ogden School teacher and Boy Scout leader accused of sexually abusing a child more than 30 years ago has come to end.
Kenneth Prince's fate changed when the abuse charges against him were dropped and he was instead nabbed on possession of child pornography.
FOX 13 News heard from the former science teacher for the first time since his arrest, saying he was sorry. The 61-year-old is sentenced to serve 1 to 15 years in the Utah State Prison on five charges of having child porn on his computer.
"I want to express my sorrow," said Prince from inside the Ogden courtroom before his sentencing.
He was arrested in fall of last year on two separate cases: child porn and child sex abuse. The sex abuse charges were dropped after a plea deal with prosecutors. Once a Scout Leader in the 80s, Prince blamed his behavior on a painful past, saying he was sexually abused as a child.
"They told me I needed therapy,” he said. “I knew I needed it, but I didn't know how to go about it. The therapy I wanted to be as honest as I could. I wanted to tell the truth, I know I needed it."
"Mr. Prince admitted to possessing five images of child pornography and that's what he's being sentenced for," said Russell Farr, one of his defense attorneys.
His other defense attorney, Stephen Farr, said, "Five counts of possession of child pornography is 210 days."
Prosecutors, who would not comment to FOX 13 News after the four-hour hearing, pressed the judge for a stiffer sentence.
"This was in the 80s that he continued to take pictures of young men, and this wasn't a one-time occasion, this went on for years while he was a school teacher," said the prosecution during the hearing.
Prince, who pleaded guilty to five counts of sexual exploitation of minor for the child porn on his computer will serve 1 to 15 years for each sentence, all at the same time. The prosecution didn't get what they wanted, and neither did the defense.
"I'm just disappointed," Russell Farr said.
He went on to say that his client, who tried to kill himself by ingesting mercury after bailing out of jail last year, will get the help he needs in prison.
"He seems to be doing alright; he seems to have good spirits and I think he'll be okay,” he said.
How much time Prince serves in prison will be up to the Board of Pardons. The court recommended Prince be considered for mental health treatment while at the prison.
