Grandfather in 'horror house' case of 16 children living like 'feral animals' issues plea after lawyer's concerns
Attorneys have been appointed to represent the four family members charged with child endangerment after 16 children were found living like ‘feral animals’ in a rural Ohio home.
Elizabeth Siders, 33, was taken into custody on 30 June alongside her husband Gary Siders Jr., 36, and his parents Gary Siders Sr., 73, Christina Siders, 67.
The four adults were charged with felony child endangerment after what the police discovered at the 'deplorable' rural property in Vinton County.
Police said the youngsters - whose ages ranged from around 18-months-old to 18-years-old - had not been enrolled in school and many were unable to speak.
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A lawyer representing one of the four adults arrested in the case has issued a statement questioning his ‘competence’ and overall mental health.
Dorian Baum will represent Gary Siders Sr. and he recently spoke to 10TV, confirming he has not had a chance to meet his client yet. However he shared concerns about how his client acted during the arraignment.
Siders Sr. appeared to show difficulty answering the judge’s questions and sat with a blank stare.
“Just by looking at him, my first impression is I have concerns about his competence. I have concerns about his mental health. I have concerns about his ability to assist in his own defense. These are all things that are bedrock, bedrock conditions you need to move forward in any case," Baum said.
"So my first initial talking with him essentially is going to be, you know, is this a person who we need to evaluate for whether or not he's competent to stand trial? Is this a person who is potentially not guilty by reason of insanity or any of the other possible defenses?"
Baum also warned that the widespread media attention could complicate the case, emphasising that the Siders are innocent until proven guilty.
"With this media attention, especially in a very small county like Vinton County, it always raises the concern, are you going to be able to find a fair and impartial jury?
“Not only that, you have sort of the state apparatus attempting to, in some ways, try this case in the court of public opinion, using hyperbolic and extreme language to describe this without again, allowing us to even have an opportunity to view any of the evidence ahead of time."
The arrests came after authorities discovered 16 children, aged between one to 18, living in squalor in a cramped and filthy 12 feet by 12 feet space at the house.
Authorities from the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation and the Vinton County Sheriff's Office executed a search warrant at the family's home in Hamden on Tuesday, 30 June.
The warrant was connected to a separate investigation and was not initially about child welfare. But while searching the property, officers found the 16 children living in what officials described as horrific, unsanitary conditions.
All four Siders remain in jail on a $300,000 bond.
Greg Harris