By ELIAS E. LOPEZ

A cartoonist for El Nuevo Herald, who barricaded himself inside the newsroom Friday with a toy gun, remained in custody Saturday at the Miami-Dade County Jail, facing three felony counts of aggravated assault with a firearm.

José Manuel Varela surrendered to police after a 3 ½-hour standoff Friday on the sixth floor of The Miami Herald building.

At his first appearance in court on Saturday, Varela's bond was raised from $7,500 per count to $25,000 per count, totaling $75,000, Miami-Dade Corrections officials said.

''In this case, as the scenario was evaluated, a higher bond was considered more appropriate,'' said Ed Griffith, spokesman for the Miami-Dade state attorney's office.

Varela, who turns 51 Monday, was assigned a public defender and ordered to stay away from the newspaper's Biscayne Bay building and all employees. The court also ordered an expert to determine Varela's competency. He is not allowed any visitors until after he has been held for 72 hours, jail officials said.

His next court appearance is scheduled for 9 a.m. Dec. 15 before Circuit Judge David H. Young.