Siders faces three child-endangerment charges after authorities rescued 16 children from a Vinton County, Ohio, home in June
Credit: SOUTHEASTERN OHIO REGIONAL JAIL; AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster
NEED TO KNOW
- Gary Siders Sr., 73, has been declared incompetent to stand trial after a judge accepted the findings of a mental evaluation
- Siders faces three child-endangerment charges and is also seeking an evaluation for a possible insanity defense
- He was one of four adults arrested after authorities found 16 children living in “deplorable” conditions at a Vinton County home in June
Gary Siders Sr., the Ohio grandfather who lived in a home where authorities rescued 16 children in June, has been declared incompetent to stand trial.
The 73-year-old was found mentally incompetent on Wednesday, Sept. 9, after a Vinton County judge accepted the findings of a mental evaluation, according to the Associated Press. Vinton County Prosecutor William Archer did not challenge the results.
After the hearing, Siders’ attorney Dorian Baum said his client has been experiencing declining mental health for years and that his condition is “not restorable,” per the outlet.
“It’s not really a surprise to any of us that he’s not been found competent at this point,” Baum said. “He doesn’t fully understand or appreciate what’s going on.”
Credit: Carolyn Kaster/AP
PEOPLE has reached out to Baum for comment but did not immediately hear back.
Siders is facing 16 child-endangerment charges, felonies and misdemeanors, in connection with the case, per the Ohio Attorney General.
His attorney asked the court in July to evaluate Siders to determine whether he was competent to stand trial and whether he could be found not guilty by reason of insanity. The judge ordered the evaluation the following day, according to a court docket seen by PEOPLE.
That evaluation took place on Sept. 9, per the docket.
The development comes more than two months after authorities arrived at a home in Hamden, Ohio, and found 16 children ranging in age from 18 months to 18 years old.
Siders was one of four adults arrested after authorities executed a search warrant at the home on June 30. The parents of the 16 children, Gary Siders II and Elizabeth Siders, were also arrested in connection with the case, along with Christina Siders, the children’s paternal grandmother.
The children were found living in what Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson described at the time as “deplorable” conditions. Wilson said some of the children required medical treatment, while two were airlifted to trauma centers because of the severity of their injuries.
Credit: SOUTHEASTERN OHIO REGIONAL JAIL
At a news conference following the raid, Wilson said the children appeared like “almost feral animals.” Vinton County Sheriff Ryan Cain also said authorities had difficulty communicating with some of the children.
“They can communicate, but it’s extremely limited, and some, not at all,” Cain said at the time.
All four adults pleaded not guilty to the initial charges and sought mental competency evaluations. Gary Sr. was later released for medical reasons, while his son, Elizabeth and Christina remain in custody.
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The 16 children were placed in the custody of Vinton County after they were removed from the home. South Central Ohio Job & Family Services was tasked with overseeing their care, with officials saying the children would need treatment following what they described as a “traumatic upbringing.”
The state of Ohio later provided the county with $1 million in emergency funds to help care for the children. Officials said the children would need therapeutic foster care for an extended period.
If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
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