Criminal Law
Former Utah judge pleads guilty to sexual battery, drug charges
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Former Utah District Judge William Kendall pleaded guilty to criminal charges that led to calls for him to step down and his eventual resignation.(Utah State Courts)
A former Utah judge has pleaded guilty to criminal charges of sexual battery and attempted distribution of a controlled substance, class A misdemeanors, as part of a plea in abeyance deal.
3rd District Judge William Kendall, who resigned in April after the allegations surfaced, pleaded guilty to the reduced charges earlier this week. The district covers Salt Lake, Tooele, and Summit counties, according to Utah’s online news site, KSL.com. site.
The charges against Kendall, 54, will be dismissed in 18 months rather than be entered as convictions if he meets certain conditions. They include committing no other law violations, having no contact with the victim and must write a “sincere apology letter,” and continued counseling. He also agreed to pay a plea in abeyance fee of $1,000, according to the story.
The judge stepped down after being accused of touching a woman inappropriately over her clothing without her consent at a party in his home on Feb. 21, 2025, and provided a “weed pen” to a second woman.
The original charges included forcible sexual abuse, a second-degree felony; distribution or arranging to distribute a drug, a third-degree felony; plus marijuana possession and possession of drug paraphernalia, class B misdemeanors. Kendall’s plea deal dismissed the misdemeanors and reduced the felony charges to misdemeanors.
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