COEUR d’ALENE — A man accused of posing as a teen boy in order to solicit sexually explicit photos from minors has been released from jail on $1 million bail.

Brett L. Nearing, 59, of Hayden, is charged with sexual abuse of a child under the age of 16 and with six counts of sexual exploitation of a child by distribution or production of sexually explicit materials, all felonies.

Court records indicate that North Idaho oil and land dealer Delbert Kerr put up a home in Rimrock Meadows Estates, a gated community in Hayden Lake, as collateral for Nearing’s $1 million bail.

Kerr posted the bail April 19, less than a week after Nearing’s arrest.

In December 2021, the instant messaging app Snapchat reported to law enforcement an account that had allegedly distributed child sexual abuse material.

The Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force took up the investigation, reportedly tracing the Snapchat account to Nearing’s IP address.

Police said they obtained photos and chat logs indicating Nearing pretended to be a teen boy in order to chat with minor girls, many of them younger than 15, and solicit nude photos from them.

When questioned by police, Nearing allegedly admitted to soliciting photos from hundreds of girls over the last three years.

He told police he traded some of the images with other people, in exchange for more illegal material.

If girls wanted to stop sending nude photos, Nearing said, he threatened to publicly post the photos they had already sent him.

He also allegedly paid about 50 girls to send him sexually explicit photos.

Police seized several electronic devices that belonged to Nearing, which he reportedly told them contained “hundreds” of images of child sexual abuse.

Investigators found sexually explicit images on the devices involving animals and children as young as infants, according to court documents.

In Idaho, sexual abuse of a child under the age of 16 is punishable by up to 25 years in prison. Sexual exploitation of a child is punishable by up to 30 years in prison.

A preliminary hearing in the case is scheduled for May 20.