Grandfather in case of 16 ‘feral kids’ found in house of horrors could swerve trial in new twist

THE charges against the grandfather of the 16 children rescued from a house of horrors could be dropped following a shocking court finding.

The shocking development emerged on Wednesday after a court-ordered evaluation determined Gary Siders Sr., 73, is mentally incompetent to stand trial at the moment.

Siders Sr. was one of four relatives arrested on June 30 after authorities discovered his 16 grandchildren living in deplorable conditions at their home in rural Hamden, Ohio.

However, the grandfather was released from jail about a week after his arrest after suffering a severe medical emergency and fall while behind bars.

Vinton County Prosecutor William Archer asked the court to release Siders Sr. on a personal recognizance bond due to his severe medical condition, which he said could bankrupt the county.

Dorian Baum, Siders Sr.’s defense attorney, raised serious concerns regarding the 73-year-old’s cognitive decline, mental health, and confusion, and requested the court to conduct a mental competency evaluation.

The findings revealed that Siders Sr. was not competent to stand trial, noting that his mental health is “not restorable.”

Baum told reporters after the hearing that he and Vinton County prosecutors are expected to hash out the next steps in the case, but added he expects the charges against Siders Sr. to be dropped.

“I’ve made multiple statements throughout, and I’ve expressed significant concern about Mr. Siders mental health throughout,” Baum said.

“I exhibited specific concerns about whether he was competent. I think everybody had the same reaction when they saw his initial appearance.

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“You had a person who was confused. A person who didn’t appear to be understanding what’s going on. He had hearing issues. As has also been widely reported, he has also had significant health issues. Those are continuing.

“As anyone who was here saw, he is not a person who is well.”

Video footage showed Siders Sr. smiling and nodding to a news camera as he was being wheeled into a Vinton County courtroom ahead of his competency hearing.

Baum said the findings were not surprising to him, in fact, they were expected.

“The findings specifically of not being restorable means that it’s not anticipated within any reasonable certainty from any medical doctor that he will be able to be restored and as such, the prosecution against him is very likely coming to a very quick end,” he added.

Baum said there are several options on the table for prosecutors to either file a motion for dismissal, a request to the probate court that Siders Sr. be evaluated for civil commitment, or seek other means for help.

Meanwhile, the case against Siders Sr.’s wife, Christine, his son, Gary Jr., and his daughter-in-law, Elizabeth, continues to play out in court.

All four defendant are facing 16 counts each of felony child endangerment.

Gary Jr., 36, and Elizabeth, 33, were indicted in late August on new charges related to a separate child sex abuse case involving a minor who authorities said was not a member of their immediate family.