SALT LAKE CITY — A co-worker of a man charged with numerous counts of sex acts against children says she doesn't believe all the charges against him.
Kent P. Frandsen, 54, was charged last week in 3rd District Court with three counts of sodomy on a child, a first-degree felony; 10 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, a second-degree felony; and four drug-related charges.
Since then, people who know the man have come forward to say he is HIV positive, and they're concerned for the young victims in the case. Prosecutors say they are aware of the allegations and are looking into them.
A relative of Frandsen, who asked not to be identified, said she called police on Friday to let them know about his alleged illness. "He has been HIV positive for about a decade, and he has talked very openly to me and other family members about his HIV status," she said.
A man who says he was Frandsen's partner in the 1990s said Frandsen didn't tell him he was HIV positive and he got infected.
The man, who also asked not to be identified, said, "I'm reminded of him every day of my life when I have to take a handful of pills every morning. It's completely affected my life and will affect it until the day I die."
Police went to Frandsen's house to serve an arrest warrant after he sold an undercover officer $40 worth of methamphetamine, according to charging documents. When they entered the residence, they found Frandsen "sitting at a table completely nude looking at a computer screen with nude males on it," the charges state.
A confidential information told investigators he saw pictures on Frandsen's cell phone and laptop of him engaged in sex acts with young boys. A second informant told detectives Frandsen would give the boys drugs to get them high and have sex with them. One informant told police that Frandsen had told him "he prefers boys between the ages of 12 and 14," the charges state.
Frandsen told investigators after he was arrested that he had child porn on his computer, including one file that involved a 3-year-old, court records state.
A small amount of cocaine and "several bags of meth" were seized from Frandsen's home, according to booking documents from the Salt Lake County Jail.
Frandsen is the president of Aspen West Publishing and Distribution in Sandy and has authored two cooking and how-to books, "Where's Mom Now That I Need Her?" and "Where's Dad Now That I Need Him?" Aspen West has been in business since 1984, according to its website.
A woman who answered the phone at Aspen West on Monday said the company was still open for business. The woman would not give her name but said she helped manage the business. She said Frandsen is openly gay and that he probably did have porn on his computer and drugs in his home. But she does not believe the allegations of child pornography involving a 3-year-old are true.
"I do not believe the exploitation of minors charges against him," she said. "He doesn't have the profile of secrecy like a child molester. He never has contact with children in the neighborhood.
"I think the drugs, they're an issue for him. I don't think they're wrong on that. He is what he is and he's never represented himself different to me," she said. "I've never considered him a potential threat to the children. There are many people who have addictions to porn and drugs. I just don't see him as a bad guy."
Contributing: Sandra Yi
e-mail: preavy@desnews.com