Hearing set for Palisade man accused of enticing child

    A Palisade man charged with child enticement by electronic communication will appear in Hitchcock County Court April 8 to determine if the case will be moved to district court.
    James Hicks, 43, appeared for the first time in county court Feb. 26. He did not enter a plea.
    Hitchcock County Clerk of Courts Linda Smith said county court does not handle felonies, so the April hearing will be held to determine if there is enough evidence to bind the case over to district court, where the plea will come.
    Child enticement by electronic device is a Class IV felony punishable by a maximum of five years in prison or a $10,000 fine.
    Hicks was arrested Jan. 17 after a search of his Palisade home.
    According to Hitchcock County Court documents, in December law enforcement officials in Nebraska were contacted by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, a national clearinghouse for information on child exploitation.
    According to the documents, between Sept. 3 and Sept. 24 Hicks and the victim, a 13-year-old girl identified only by her initials, allegedly exchanged messages on Facebook.
    Facebook passed files on to law enforcement containing pictures and videos, as well as conversations between the two.
    The documents said that Hicks was present during a search of his residence Jan. 17 and spoke with Nebraska State Patrol investigators.
    He was arrested after that interview and taken to the Hitchcock County Jail.
    He was later released from jail  on $75,000 bond.

 

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