SANDPOINT — A Sandpoint man accused of possessing child pornography is waiving his right to a preliminary hearing.

Curtis Gilbert Klusener’s waiver amounts to tacit agreement that the state possesses enough evidence to justify a trial in 1st District Court. He is scheduled to be arraigned on March 16 on five counts of sexual exploitation of a child by possession of sexually exploitative material, a felony that’s punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

Chief Public Defender Susie Jensen requested a reduction of Kluesner’s $50,000 bail after he entered the waiver. She noted that her client underwent a polygraph examination in which no deception was detected and agreed to be fitted with a monitoring device.

Bonner County Senior Deputy Prosecutor Daniel Rodriquez opposed a reduction in bail because of the nature of the charges and advised the court more serious charges may be added as a result of the criminal investigation.

Rodriguez added that Kluesner could face federal prosecution.

“It’s very concerning if he gets released,” Rodriguez said.

Bonner County Magistrate Court Judge Justin Julian agreed to reduce bail to $20,000 given Kluesner was not accused of having sexual contact with children.

“The charges are certainly serious,” said Julian.

Kluesner, 49, was arrested following an investigation by the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, according to court documents.

He is accused of sharing a 1-minute, 52-second video depicting child pornography January. The video was shared via BitTorrent, a peer-to-peer file sharing network.

The video was traced to a Kluesner’s laptop computer using its Internet Protocol address, the numerical label assigned to the internet-connected device, court records indicate.

Detectives with the Sandpoint Police Department, U.S. Marshals Service and Idaho State Police assisted the ICAC Unit with the investigation.

Keith Kinnaird can be reached by email at kkinnaird@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow him on Twitter @KeithDailyBee.