A Post Falls contractor accused of raping girls over a 12-year period waived his preliminary hearing Thursday and was bound over to First District Court on two counts of felony lewd conduct.

Daniel S. Mattern, who posted a $250,000 surety earlier this month to be released from the Kootenai County jail, waived his right to the probable cause hearing in which evidence is presented to a judge who determines whether probable cause exists to bind over a defendant on the charges against him.

Mattern, 57, is accused of engaging in sex with underage girls between 1990 and 1998, and between 2010 and 2014. Both of the girls were under 16, and one was 6 years old, according to court records.

First District Judge John Mitchell was assigned to the case, but Mattern’s attorney, Rick Baughman, filed a motion Friday to replace Mitchell with another judge.

Baughman at an earlier hearing told the court his client was innocent and has a sound reputation as a construction contractor. He needed a low bond amount to get back to work after turning himself in to Kootenai County deputies when he heard there was a warrant for his arrest.

“He practically has no criminal history,” Baughman said.

Mattern is a local resident with a family and a business, Specialty Construction Systems, which does a lot of work in Spokane, according to his social media account.

Lewd conduct with a child under 16 carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.

An arraignment, at which Mattern would enter a plea to the charges, has not been set.