SIDNEY, NE — A Sidney man is facing more felony charges after a hearing last week in Cheyenne County District Court. 

Jamie Daniels now faces 17 criminal counts on charges regarding an investigation that was spurred by a Texas-based vigilante group. At the latest hearing Thursday, March 18, officials added six counts of Distribution of Sexually Explicit Conduct of a Minor, a Class 1D felony. 

Daniels had previously been charged with one count of Attempted First Degree Sexual Assault of a Child and ten counts of Possession of Child Pornography. Both are Class 2 felonies. 

According to court documents, the defense filed a motion to have Daniels' bond reduced from $100,000 to $10,000. On Monday, the court said the bond would remain at $100,000. 

Daniels' next court appearance is set for April 7. 

The investigation began in November 2020 after a vigilante group who call themselves The Predator Poachers confronted Daniels in Sidney. They claimed he had sent explicit messages to a member of their group who was posing as a minor online and presented evidence of the activity to local authorities. 

Daniels was then arrested but released shortly after as charges were initially declined because the person posing as a minor was not a law enforcement officer. He was taken back into custody in early December after a police-conducted investigation.