DARLINGTON - A Darlington man charged with creating child porn via sexual exploitation waived his right to a preliminary hearing in Lafayette County Circuit Court Tuesday, Sept. 17.

Timmy J. Reichling, 46, is now scheduled for arraignment next week on the 11 felony charges against him. He remains jailed on a $1 million bail on three Class C felony counts of child sexual exploitation, three Class I felony counts of being a registered sex offender photographing a minor without consent, and five Class D felony counts of possessing child pornography.

The criminal complaint alleges Reichling posed as a teenager on Facebook and elsewhere online in recent years, using various fake names, and solicited at least one local girl for hundreds of naked photos and a sex video. Police suspect there are other victims not yet identified and are seeking tips from the public in an ongoing investigation of Reichling.

A defendant charged with a felony has a right to preliminary hearing. It gives the judge a chance to hear the evidence for charges and for the defense counsel to cross-examine. The judge then rules on whether there is probable cause for the charges.

In Reichling's case, public defender Frank Medina said the hearing was unnecessary.

"The criminal complaint is pretty thorough," Medina said.

Judge William Johnston questioned Reichling closely before accepting the defendant's waiver request and ruling that the case move forward.

To Johnston's yes-or-no questions, Reichling affirmed he is competent, on no medications, made the decision to waive a prelim freely and voluntarily, is satisfied with Medina's representation and has never been committed to a mental institution.

Medina said afterward he will be deciding before next week's arraignment whether to ask for a substitution of judge.

Johnston has been substituted from several major cases in Lafayette County in the past year, including the homicide cases of Jaren Kuester and Armin and Jeremy Wand.

Reichling's arraignment is at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 24.