Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
- Third District Judge William Kendall resigns while facing charges of forcible sexual abuse and drug distribution.
- The charges involve alleged incidents at his home, including inappropriate touching and marijuana and drug paraphernalia possession.
- Kendall through his attorney maintains his innocence and was on unpaid administrative leave until his resignation.
WEST JORDAN — A judge in Utah's 3rd District Court has resigned after being charged with unlawful sexual conduct and drug possession.
William Kenneth Kendall, who has been on administrative leave pending an undisclosed criminal investigation, was charged April 2 with sexually abusing a woman in his home and providing a "weed pen" to a second woman.
The resignation comes a day after Utah House Speaker Mike Schultz threatened that lawmakers would start looking into impeachment proceedings against Kendall if he did not step down.
The 54-year-old judge from Salt Lake County is charged in 3rd District Court with 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 submitted a letter of resignation to Gov. Spencer Cox and Chief Justice Matthew B. Durrant on Thursday.
"I hereby tender my resignation as a judge of the 3rd District Court of Utah, effective immediately. It has been the greatest honor of my life to sit on the 3rd District Court. I will miss my time on the bench and those with whom I worked closely to serve the people of Utah," his letter states.
The charges were filed by Davis County Attorney Troy Rawlings to avoid a conflict of interest with the Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office.
Kendall, a former deputy district attorney in Salt Lake County, is represented by attorney Greg Skordas.
"Judge William Kendall has humbly served the people of Utah for over 25 years, first as a deputy district attorney, then as an assistant U.S. attorney, and currently as judge on Utah's 3rd District Court. He has undergone rigorous vetting in order to be a member of the judiciary, and until now has never been the subject of an allegation of professional misconduct. Judge Kendall is presumed innocent," Skordas said April 2 in a prepared statement.
The allegations stem from a gathering at Kendall's home on Feb. 21. Kendall, "who had been consuming alcohol with the others, also provided recreational tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) to at least one of the female participants," according to charging documents. The woman says she used Kendall's "weed pen."
A second woman claims that at some point during the evening, Kendall inappropriately touched one of the women without her consent over her clothing, according to the charges.
Unified police served a search warrant on Kendall's home and seized THC products and paraphernalia, the charges state.
A spokeswoman for Utah Courts said Kendall did not preside over any cases during the investigation and was placed on administrative leave without pay as of April 2.
