Former Deputy Back In Custody After Facebook Post

On a day when supporters rallied in his defense outside the courthouse, former San Bernardino Sheriff’s deputy Nathan Gastineau was taken back into custody because of a Facebook posting.

Gastineau, who is accused of having sex with a minor, appeared in court early today before Judge John Martin in preparation for an Aug. 29 preliminary hearing.

But the routine court appearance took a turn when prosecutor Bobbie Mann presented the judge with a printed copy of a posting from a Facebook page titled Gastineau Support.

The posting reads, in part, “The facts are … my reputation has been destroyed, my job has been nuked, and my best friend is in jail.

“War is our imperative. And if right now, victory seems 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.”

The judge was unmoved by Gastineau's explanation that the post was inspired by a television show. The monologue is based on a Battlestar Galactica episode.

The judge raised Gastineau’s bail from $150,000 to $350,000. A bailiff then handcuffed the former law-enforcement officer and took him into custody. He posted bail again late Tuesday.

“What on Earth is the matter with you?” Judge Martin said. “What do you mean by all this?”

“We don’t know who reads this,” Judge Martin told Gastineau and his attorney. “But when you start talking about revenge and payback you could be starting a chain of events that put in danger an alleged victim.”

Gastineau, 31, of Redlands, faces three counts of lewd acts upon a child and three counts of unlawful sexual intercourse, according to San Bernardino County District Attorney’s officials. He has pleaded not guilty.

He is accused of having a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old girl who had been part of the Sheriff's explorer program which he headed.

At 8 a.m., before the start of the hearing, more than 20 supporters lined up in the front of the courthouse holding signs in a show of support. Several of the signs had copies of commendations Gastineau received as a deputy.

The Facebook posting was taken out of context, said his mother LoRee Gastineau.

“I was very shocked and saddened by the reaction to something so silly as a Facebook posting,” she said. “There is no evidence and there is no proof. It’s all just hearsay.”

Many who attended the hearing stood by as attorney Gloria Allred, who has been representing the reported victim, gave a statement to the press after the hearing. The young woman was not in attendance.

“Of course the defendant has a right to be presumed innocent in a court of law unless and until he is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt by either a judge or a jury or by the entry of a guilty plea,” Allred told the crowd in a prepared statement. “In this court process the defendant will be afforded all of his rights and will be insured a fair trial.

“However, I would like everyone to remember that the child that I represent also has rights. She is a minor, not an adult. She should also be afforded due process and be treated with respect and dignity.”

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