Francke waives preliminary hearing

Phillip Francke was in court Monday on charges of child sexual exploitation and battery. Francke is charged with 10 counts of child sexual exploitation, which is possession of child pornography. Francke is also charged with two counts of sexual battery with a minor. In court Monday, Francke waived his right to a preliminary hearing. His case will now be transferred to district court for arraignment.
Bannock County prosecutor Zachary Parris said Francke is looking at a maximum of 150 years in jail. Ten years for each of the 10 counts of exploitation plus 25 years for each of the two counts of sexual battery. But Parris said Francke won’t get that, that’s only the maximum he faces based solely on the charges. Parris said he expects a plea deal to be reached in the case. Francke will be back in court next week for his arraignment. Monday was not Francke’s first time in court. He has a history of harassment charges in Bannock County. He also has a pending stalking charge. Last month, Francke was also sentenced in Caribou County for 16 counts of child solicitation, later reduced to three in a plea deal. Francke received two years fixed jail time and eight years indeterminate in Caribou County on those charges.