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MURRAY — A licensed family doctor in Utah is facing criminal charges accusing him of possessing child pornography.
David Ludwig Aune, 58, of Springville, was charged on Feb. 1 in 3rd District Court with nine counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, a second-degree felony.
Aune is a family medicine doctor in Murray and is affiliated with multiple hospitals in the area, including Jordan Valley Medical Center. He has been a licensed physician and surgeon in Utah since 1999, according to the Utah Division of Professional Licensing's website.
The investigation began in October when the Internet Crimes Against Children task force received a report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children of possible child pornography. Investigators traced the IP address to Aune who lived in South Jordan at time, according to charging documents.
In January, investigators served simultaneous search warrants at his office in Murray and at his new home in Springville. When questioned, Aune admitted to editing a picture of a preteen girl he knows and altering it into a pornographic image, the charges allege.
Aune was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail on Feb. 8. His next court hearing is scheduled for April 18.
Aune is also currently facing charges of drug possession, a class A misdemeanor, and driving on a suspended license, a class B misdemeanor. In that case, he was pulled over in Murray in October where police found he was driving on a suspended license and had medication in his vehicle that he did not have a prescription for, according to charging documents.
He was also charged in 2020 with DUI. A trial for that case is scheduled for June.
Correction: Aune has never been affiliated with St. Mark's Hospital. A previous version incorrectly stated he was.
