Accused child molester Kevin Sloniker also faces child porn charges

A long-haul truck driver from Coeur d’Alene who faces charges of molesting underage boys also will be charged with producing, possessing and distributing child pornography, according to the Kootenai County prosecutor’s office.

Kevin G. Sloniker, 30, was back in court Tuesday morning and waived his right to a speedy preliminary hearing, which will be scheduled at least 30 days from now. More time is needed “due to the magnitude of the case,” said Sloniker’s lawyer, Michael Palmer, of Coeur d’Alene.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office also is looking at the case and may consider charges, Palmer told 1st District Magistrate Judge James Combo at Tuesday’s hearing. The Coeur d’Alene branch of the U.S. Attorney’s Office has not commented on the case.

Sloniker has been charged so far with one count of rape and four counts of lewd conduct involving four boys, based on an investigation by the Coeur d’Alene Police Department. Another charge is pending as a result of an investigation by the Post Falls Police Department.

He also will be charged with six child pornography felonies for photos he allegedly made of two of the boys, prosecutors said.

Sloniker, who previously served as a youth camp counselor at Immaculate Conception Church in Post Falls, is suspected of raping and abusing boys in both Kootenai and Spokane counties over the past decade. He’s being held in the Kootenai County Jail on $1 million bond.

In a police interview, Sloniker admitted to sexually assaulting nine boys, according to court records. He said he wanted help for an addiction to touching young boys, a police detective said in court filings.

The investigation is continuing.