Ex-deputy bail hiked for Facebook post

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HIGHLAND, Calif., Aug. 3 (UPI) -- A former Highland, Calif., deputy, accused of having sex with a minor in a police vehicle, had his bail raised for his Facebook comments, a judge said.

Nathan James Gastineau's bail was raised from $150,000 to $350,000 Monday for posting about "revenge" and "payback" on a Facebook page made to support the ex-deputy, The (Riverside) Press-Enterprise reported.

Gastineau is accused of having sex with a girl he supervised as part of the Highland station's Explorer program -- a program that teaches youths police law-enforcement techniques.

"What on Earth is the matter with you?" Superior Court Judge John Martin asked Gastineau. "What do you mean by all this?"

On the Gastineau Support Facebook page, Gastineau wrote: "A philosopher once said 'When faced with untenable alternatives you should consider your imperative.' War is our imperative. And if right now victory seems like an impossibility, then we have something else to reach for: revenge, payback."

Gastineau explained it was a quote from the television show "Battlestar: Galactica."

"You never know who reads something like this. You could be setting off a chain of events you have no control over that could endanger the alleged victim," Martin said.

Gastineau is charged with three counts of lewd or lascivious acts with a child and three counts of illegal sexual intercourse with a minor, all of which he has pleaded not guilty to.