SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO-AM) – The following is a timeline of events leading to former Sioux Falls Fire Rescue Chief Jim Sideras being charged with ten counts of felony child pornography late Monday.
- April 11, 2017—Mayor Mike Huether held a news conference with Chief Sideras announcing Sideras’ retirement at the end of June. Sideras also announced he will be the executive director of the South Dakota Healthcare Coalition.
- April 14, 2017—Argus Leader published “7 Things You Didn't Know About Fire Chief Jim Sideras.”
- April 25, 2017—Mayor Huether appeared on KELO-AM’s The Greg Belfrage Show. There was no discussion about Sideras on the program other than the OSHA investigation of the Copper Lounge collapse and SFFR’s excellent response to the disaster.
- April 26, 2017—Chief Sideras appeared on KELO-AM’s The Greg Belfrage Show. Sideras talked about his accomplishments, the changes through the years in being a firefighter, and his post-fire department life.
- April 26, 2017—Minnehaha County Detective Derek Kuchenreuther received a cybertip from an agent with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children regarding the email account of sandilikestoplay10@yahoo.com receiving email with child pornography files from email account of roland.jahn@gmail.com. Massachusetts State Police were investigating the roland.jahn@gmail account and came across the sandilikestoplay10@yahoo.com account. The agent turned over emails going back nearly a year between the two accounts. Sideras was tracked to using the sandilikestoplay10@yahoo.com account at his home in Sioux Falls and to a Marriot Hotel in San Antonio, Texas where Sideras had attended a conference in August of 2016.
- May 1, 2017—Detective Kuchenreuther obtains a search warrant of Sideras’ home, vehicle and outbuildings that afternoon.
- May 2, 2017—Minnehaha County Deputies and the state Division of Criminal Investigation served the search warrant on Sideras’ home that afternoon.
- May 2, 2017—Mayor Huether announced that Sideras was no longer employed by the City.
- May 2, 2017—Interim Fire Chief Brad Goodroad sent an email to fire stations to not allow Sideras to enter the facilities or to communicate with Sideras.
- May 4, 2017—Minnehaha County Sheriff Mike Milstead appeared on The Greg Belfrage Show. He said he was not at liberty to discuss the Sideras matter other than what was already on the record.
- May 8, 2017—State 2nd Circuit Court released contents of Sideras search warrant about 4:30 p.m.
- May 8, 2017—About the same time, Minnehaha County Sheriff’s Office sent out a Tweet with a release that Sideras had been arrested, charged with ten counts of child pornography, and bond was set at $10,000.
- May 8, 2017—Sideras bonded out of the Minnehaha County Jail.
Upcoming:
- 9 a.m., May 25, 2017--Sideras first court appearance at Minnehaha County Courthouse.