Jonathan Vanderhagen could have walked out of the Macomb County Jail on Friday, where he's been held on a $500,000 bond since July.

But he declined. Twice.

"I can't, as a father," he told 41-B District Court Judge Sebastian Lucido.

And thus began a jury trial Friday in Clinton Township for the 35-year-old Chesterfield Township man, who faces a misdemeanor charge over a storm of criticism he made about Macomb County Circuit Court Judge Rachel Rancilio and the court system in Facebook posts after his young son's death.

Lucido had imposed the half-million-dollar bond on the grounds that Vanderhagen had violated his original $1,000 bond by continuing to post his complaints about Rancilio.

And the prosecution's first witness at Friday's trial was the judge herself.

Rancilio, a family court judge, was randomly assigned Vanderhagen's custody case in 2017, and she testified Friday that the matter was referred to a Friend of the Court referee. Rancilio testified that Friday was the first time she saw Vanderhagen in person.

Assistant Prosecutor Elizabeth Rittinger told the seven jurors during opening statements that things escalated beyond freedom of speech with Vanderhagen's posts and that harassment isn't protected speech.

"These are threats," that were perceived by Rancilio, Rittinger said.

Vanderhagen's attorney, Nicholas Somberg, said that posts made after the original bond were about the system and his son, not about Rancilio.

Somberg told jurors that Vanderhagen never said anything threatening, and that the case was about "power and privilege versus a grieving father with nothing."

Vanderhagen wore a blue jail jumper for the trial. For a short time before jury selection began, he was holding a stuffed animal Snoopy that belonged to his son.

More:Macomb dad blames judge for son's death. Now he's jailed for harassment

Earlier Friday, Vanderhagen declined to accept a plea offer of disturbing the peace, a 93-day misdemeanor, after extensive discussions. Lucido said he would give Vanderhagen credit for time served if he accepted the plea and he could be released Friday. Vanderhagen declined.

Instead, if convicted of malicious use of telecommunications services, he could be sentenced up to six months in jail and/or a $1,000 fine.

Rancilio's testimony will continue Tuesday.

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Contact Christina Hall: chall@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter: @challreporter.