Crime & Safety
Charges Filed Against Former Highland Deputy Suspected of Having Sex With a Minor
Former deputy Jason Gastineau and Jason Anguiano are accused of having sex with a member of the Sheriff's Explorer program.
More than a month after their arrest, a former San Bernardino County Sheriff’s deputy and an acquaintance have been charged with having a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old girl.
Nathan James Gastineau, 31, of Redlands, a former deputy, faces three counts of lewd acts upon a child and three counts of unlawful sexual intercourse, according to a news report.
Jason Henry Anguiano, 27, of Rialto, was also charged with two counts of sexual penetration by a foreign object and one count of unlawful sexual intercourse, the report said. Anguiano is not a member of the Sheriff’s department.
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Mutual friends say the teen was part of a nonprofit group called Inland Empire Ghostbusters, which was co-founded by Gastineau. Anguiano is also a member.
The girl was also part of the Highland Sheriff’s Explorer program which Gastineau supervised, officials said.
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Gastineau was arrested April 22 shortly after police were tipped off to the alleged relationship. He had been on paid administrative leave but left the department two days ago, according to news reports. Anguiano was arrested on April 25.
Less than two weeks later, Anthony Benjamin, of Beaumont, who worked out of the Victorville station, was arrested for having a sexual relationship with an explorer cadet. The incidents launched a review of the entire sheriff’s explorer program. The review is ongoing.
Sheriff’s Rod Hoops held a press conference on May 5 after Benjamin’s arrest. He told reporters the cadet ride-alongs had been suspended pending the outcome of the review. The department was concerned the alleged offenses occurred while the cadets were riding along with the officials, Hoops said.
“We are going over our entire explorer program with a fine-tooth comb to see if there is something that we need to change to prevent this from happening,” Hoops said at the conference. “We’re going to be looking at everything from training, evaluations and selection of the people who are involved in the explorer program.”
A court date for either man has not been set.
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