Lewd suspect waives hearing

SANDPOINT — A Clark Fork man accused of repeatedly molesting a Bonner County girl and documenting the abuse with videos and photographs waived his right Wednesday to a preliminary hearing.

Joshua James Olson’s waiver amounts to tacit agreement that the state possesses enough evidence to justify a trial in 1st District Court.

Olson, 27, is scheduled to be arraigned in district court on May 6. He remains held at the Bonner County Jail in lieu of $100,000 bail.

Olson is charged with lewd and lascivious conduct with a minor and sexual exploitation of a child. Olson allegedly molested the girl during a three-year period from 2010-2013.

The child was between the ages of 5 and 7 when the abuse occurred, charging documents state.

Bonner County sheriff’s investigators and the FBI searched his home in late March and discovered a flash memory drive containing 24 videos and 67 photographs of Olson sexually abusing the child, according to court documents.