For author Peter Watts, life can be stranger than science fiction.

Watts – who has written six books in the genre – was on his way back to Toronto Tuesday after helping a friend move to the U.S. Before he crossed the border into Sarnia, American customs officers pulled him over.

When they began rifling through his car, he got out to ask what was going on. They ordered him back into the car; he asked again.

What happened next has become the talk of the blogosphere.

Watts, too, has waded in, posting on the Internet that he was assaulted, punched in the face, pepper-sprayed and thrown in jail for the night, only to find himself facing charges of assaulting a customs officer.

Port Huron police told the local newspaper Watts was angry when he got out of the car and when he refused to get back in, customs officers tried to cuff him and he was "aggressive." In the melee, police said, Watts "choked" an officer.

Ronald Smith, chief customs and border protection officer at Blue Water Bridge, told the Star Watts "became non-compliant ... and a physical altercation" ensued.

"As a result of that, he was detained and turned over to local authorities," said Smith.

Watts denies any wrongdoing.

"I can state categorically that I did not choke anybody. I did not use profanity and did not raise my voice. I did not initiate any physical contact," said Watts, who has a PhD in zoology. "All I basically did was use words to ask what was going on."

Friends are raising funds to help Watts cover his legal costs, which are overwhelming for someone who makes a living as an author.

Sci-fi writer Cory Doctorow, who blogged about it at boingboing.net, chipped in $1,000. More donations have since come in. Watts has enough to get through his Dec. 22 court appearance but should the case go to trial, a fundraiser will be arranged, friend David Nickle said.

If convicted of the felony charge, Watts could be imprisoned for two years and face a fine of up to $2,000.

Watts had driven to Nebraska with a friend to help a University of Toronto professor move. The two were driving a replacement rental car after the original broke down. The friend was not charged.

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Some of the many comments posted at boingboing.net suggest Watts must have had an attitude.

"The question is what is attitude?" he said. "I've been told ... that the mere act of getting out of a car, the mere act of taking any action at all, not simply responding to an order ... is considered attitude. ... What they take offence to is not necessarily what anyone else would find offensive."