Suspect Held After Captive Girl Is Freed : Kidnaping: 10-year-old is in good condition after 16-day ordeal. She will stay in foster home while officials decide custody questions.

A man charged with keeping a 10-year-old girl chained in a cramped underground cell for 16 days was ordered held Thursday on $500,000 bail.

The girl, Katie Beers, was released from the hospital after a medical evaluation and will be assigned to a foster home while authorities decide who should have custody of her, according to a Suffolk County source who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Katie was found Wednesday after John Esposito, 43, a family friend who reported her missing Dec. 28, led police to her in a bunker beneath a building on his property.

The man Katie called “Uncle John” stood silently in handcuffs during his 10-minute arraignment on second-degree kidnaping charges. No plea was entered.

His attorney, Andrew Siben, argued for low bail. He portrayed Esposito as a hero of sorts.

“I can honestly say Mr. Esposito was instrumental in the recovery of Katie Beers,” he said. “Katie Beers might not be alive if not for Mr. Esposito.”

Prosecutor William Ferris argued that Esposito couldn’t have led authorities to Katie unless he had first kidnaped her.

Suffolk County District Court Judge Patrick Barton set bail at $500,000 and scheduled a hearing for Tuesday.

Esposito, a building contractor, could be sentenced to 25 years in prison if convicted.

Esposito reported Katie missing after a birthday trip to a video arcade. Police now say the story was concocted.

Police questioned him for 18 hours on Dec. 28 and 29, and he denied any role in Katie’s disappearance.

Additional charges are likely when the case is brought before a grand jury, and two sources familiar with the investigation told the Associated Press that Esposito sexually abused the girl while holding her captive. The sources refused to be identified.

Suffolk County Police Commissioner, Peter Cosgrove said he believed Esposito gave up Katie because he was irritated by the 24-hour police presence at his home.

“I think what led to success in the case was we kept up the pressure. He couldn’t stand it,” Cosgrove said. “If he intended to take her any other place, he couldn’t carry it out.”

Katie was kept in a 6-foot-by-7-foot bunker 10 feet below a converted garage, where she was sometimes chained at the neck. She could see police searching Esposito’s home on a closed-circuit television, but her cries for help were never heard outside the damp, soundproof room, Ferris said.

Esposito brought her food and water each night, police said. They said she was in good condition when found.

Katie’s mother and godmother have been fighting for custody of her, and each had accused the other of mistreating her.

Katie’s mother, Marilyn Beers, said at a news conference Thursday that she signed over temporary custody of her daughter to Suffolk County on Wednesday night but wants to get her back.

“I love her and can’t wait for her to get back home,” said Beers, 43, an unemployed taxi driver.

Beers’ lawyer, John Jiras, said Beers signed over custody under the pressure of the moment. He said she opposes foster care for Katie and that she would contest any plans the county had for placing her daughter in another home.