Former Orange County High School softball coach arrested for multiple sexual assaults, police say

CULPEPER, Va. - A former Orange County High School softball coach is behind bars after she was indicted on nearly three dozen counts of child abuse.

According to court documents, 57-year-old Cathy S. Rothgeb is accused of sexually and physically abusing two girls over the course of a decade. According to documents, one girl was under 13 years old when the alleged abuse began and the second was under 15 years old.

The accusers allege that the offenses occurred in the 1990s while Rothgeb was a softball coach.

Virginia State Police said an investigation was launched in the summer of 2016 after a victim came forward to police.

Charges include seven counts of object sexual penetration, seven counts of forcible sodomy, eight counts of indecent liberties with children, eight counts of cruelty to children and four counts of aggravated sexual battery.

Detectives said Rothgeb was a youth softball coach for Orange County High School who also coached youth recreational leagues and travel teams in Orange County, Spotsylvania County and throughout the region from the 1980s through the early 2000s. They said Rothgeb has no recent affiliation with the Orange County High School.

Rothgeb currently lives in Stanley, but used to live in Orange. A former neighbor told FOX 5 that Rothgeb has a son and was always friendly. She said Rothgeb was well-regarded in the community and that she was shocked by the allegations.

Rothgeb turned herself in to police on Friday and is being held without bond.

Anyone with information about Rothgeb was urged to contact the Virginia State Police at 1-888-300-0156.