Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Health issues helped lead to Giosafat Cataldo being granted $15,000 bond with significant travel restrictions after he was initially held without bond following his Feb. 11 arrest on nine counts related to sexual acts, with five of the counts directly referencing contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

According to the Virginia Courts Case Information online system, the result of Cataldo’s Feb. 22 appearance in court was that bond was denied and resolved. However, his March 22 court appearance had a different result.

“Yes, the judge granted bond in the amount of $15,000 with ‘tight’ limitations on where he can travel,” Southampton Circuit Court Clerk Richard L. Francis stated. “There were some health issues that were the basis of the court’s being willing to reconsider bond.”

A Feb. 12 Southampton County Sheriff’s Office press release stated that in January, a juvenile female reported some criminal activity to the sheriff’s office that had occurred between October 2021 and January 2022.  

The release noted that after detectives investigated the report further, warrants were obtained for multiple charges. Cataldo, 51, of Franklin, was arrested on a charge of forcible sodomy, three charges of sexual battery and five charges of contributing to the delinquency of a minor involving sexual acts.