A Oak Harbor man is facing attempted murder and kidnapping charges for allegedly driving an 8-year-old girl to Deception Pass Bridge and threatening to drop her off a cliff last Thursday, according to court documents.

Joshua Castro, 40, appeared in Skagit County Superior Court Monday after being held on $1 million bail during the preliminary hearing. Judge Heather Shand lowered his bail to $750,000, but ordered that a mental health professional must evaluate him for possible involuntary commitment before he can be released from jail.

Prosecutors charged Castro on Monday with attempted murder in the first degree, kidnapping in the first degree and felony harassment. The three counts were charged with deadly weapons enhancements.

The report by a detective with the Skagit County Sheriff’s Office states that a motorist called police for help after stopping because of a dog on the bridge and encountering the pajama-clad child, who said her dad — later identified as Castro — was threatening to kill her and her dog. Court documents state that his girlfriend is the child’s mother and that he helps to take care of her.

A trooper with the Washington State Patrol located Castro, who was walking in socks and saying he was looking for his daughter, the report states. A trooper located a knife nearby.

Castro told the trooper that he was at Deception Pass to throw “her” off the bridge and that he had killed his wife and mother. Police later discovered that the girl’s mother was fine and that nobody had been injured.

Castro allegedly told the girl earlier in the morning that her mother was dead and that he was going to kill her dog to teach her a lesson and then push her off a cliff, the report states. He was armed with a knife when he placed her in the car, according to the girl’s statement. The report states that Castro parked his car next to a drop-off at the bridge with little or no outcropping.

Castro’s defense attorney, Daniel Blue, said in court that Castro had been a long-time caretaker of the girl. His girlfriend is the victim’s mother, according to the sheriff’s office. The attorney questioned whether the allegations support the charge of kidnapping because she was a minor child often in the care of Castro.

Deputy Prosecutor Branden Platter pointed out that the police report states that Castro threatened the girl with a knife, took her in his car and drove her to the bridge.

Shand agreed with the prosecutor that the kidnapping charge was supported in the report.