By Brian Rokos
The Press Enterprise
SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY, Calif. — The bail for former San Bernardino County sheriff’s deputy Nathan James Gastineau, accused of having sex with a teenage female Explorer during a ride-along, was more than doubled Tuesday after a judge read a Facebook posting in which Gastineau wrote about “revenge” and “payback.”
“What on earth is the matter with you?” demanded Superior Court Judge John Martin, who held up a printout of the posting. “What do you mean by all this?”
Martin agreed with the district attorney that the posting appeared threatening and increased the bail from $150,000 to $350,000.
Gastineau, who had been free on bail and sat in the gallery in a dark suit and tie before his case was called, was handcuffed and led past defendants who were wearing orange jail jumpsuits.
Gastineau, 31, of Redlands, is accused of three counts of lewd or lascivious acts with a child and three counts of illegal sexual intercourse with a minor. He has pleaded not guilty.
Gastineau supervised the girl who was in the Highland station’s Explorer program.
On a Facebook page titled “Gastineau Support,” Gastineau wrote in part: “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. So we will fight. Because in the end it’s the only alternative my enemy has left us. I say let’s make them understand that as long as I still have a breath in me, that this war, that they started, will not be over. Thank you everyone for the support.”
Gastineau explained that he was simply repeating a quote from a television show - it appears to be a line from “Battlestar: Gallactica”.
“You never know who reads something like this,” Martin scolded Gastineau. “You could be setting off a chain of events you have no control over that could endanger the alleged victim.”
Outside the San Bernardino courthouse after Tuesday’s hearing, Gastineau’s mother, LoRee Gastineau, said “There is no evidence. There is no proof” of her son’s guilt.
Gastineau is the third person accused in San Bernardino County this year of having sex with an Explorer - youths who go through training to learn law-enforcement techniques.
Deputy Anthony Benjamin, 30, of Beaumont, recently pleaded no contest to two felony charges of oral copulation with a person under 18 - a 17-year-old girl who was in the Explorer program at the
Victorville station where Benjamin works. That crime was also alleged to have occurred on a ride-along. Sentencing is set for Aug. 30.
And Jason Henry Anguiano, 27, of Rialto, agreed to be sentenced to three years probation and 180 days in county jail for having sex with a 16-year-old Redlands girl - the same girl who is Gastineau’s accuser.
About 10 supporters of Gastineau rallied before the hearing, wearing white buttons with black lettering reading “Innocent Until Proven Guilty.”
One held a sign showing an award Gastineau received from state Sen. Bob Dutton recognizing Gastineau as the 2008 Highland Chamber of Commerce Officer of the Year.
Samantha Gonzalez said she was an Explorer with Gastineau for four years and that he never did anything improper.
“I looked up to him. He was my mentor. He was always the one to tell me to never give up,” Gonzalez said.
Gloria Allred, an attorney known for taking on high-profile cases, was hired by the accuser.
Allred said after the hearing that she agrees Gastineau is innocent until proven guilty.
“However, I would like everyone to remember that the child that I represent also has rights,” Allred said. “She should also be afforded due process and be treated with respect and dignity.”
Gastineau is due back in court Aug. 25 for a hearing.
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