Two choices prosecutor faces as grandfather of 16 children found in ‘house of horrors’ will not stand trial
Gary Siders Sr, the Ohio ‘house of horrors’ grandfather, has been declared incompetent to stand trial and prosecutors now have two choices.
Mum-of-16 Elizabeth Siders, 33, was arrested on 30 June along with her husband, Gary Jr, 36, and his parents, Gary Sr, 73, and Christina, 67.
The four adults were taken into custody after authorities found 16 children living in ‘deplorable’ conditions in a small 12-by-12-foot room at a home in Hamden.
Siders Sr is charged with 16 counts of child endangerment and his attorney Dorian Baum revealed that a Vinton County judge accepted the findings of a mental evaluation.
Advert
During his hearing, the findings of a report from a forensic examiner, who evaluated his mental competency, were examined, while the full results are sealed for privacy.
Vinton County prosecutor William Archer Jr can now either dismiss the charges, or mandate mental health treatments in hopes of restoring the case.
He previously said that Gary Sr. 'has a serious medical condition that requires specialized care' that would 'potentially bankrupt Vinton County' if he'd remained in jail and the county had to pay for his care.
According to the Associated Press, Archer Jr did not challenge the results, as Baum said: “It’s not really a surprise to any of us that he’s not been found competent at this point.
“He doesn’t fully understand or appreciate what’s going on.”
Siders Sr is the only adult who has been released from jail, due to a medical condition that required hospitalization.
His son-in-law previously told WOWK that Siders had a stroke in recent years.
Baum added to NBC4 that ‘the prosecution against him is very likely coming to a very quick end’.
“If he wasn’t aware of what was going on, that certainly seemed to indicate that he may not have been a part of much of anything,” the lawyer said.
“And despite what people want to prognosticate about or go online or make statements about, that’s not the law. That’s not reality, that’s not facts.”
All 16 children, ranging from 18 months to 18 years old, were hospitalized for severe neglect and malnutrition, and remain in state protective custody.
Elizabeth has pleaded not guilty to 19 counts of child endangerment, while she and her husband also face additional indictments for sexual battery and unlawful sexual conduct with a minor regarding a separate 2022 investigation involving a child outside the immediate family.
Gary Jr has pleaded not guilty to 19 counts of child endangerment and the separate minor sexual abuse charges. His bond was increased to $550,000, and he is undergoing a competency evaluation.
Christina Siders has pleaded not guilty to 19 counts of child endangerment and is scheduled for her own mental competency evaluation.
The court is currently awaiting these forensic results before scheduling their trial dates.
Anish Vij