Brandon Henderson, a defendant in a sexual abuse case linked to the Siders family in Vinton County, is set to appear in court Oct. 21.
Henderson, 40, faces several charges of sexual battery, gross sexual imposition and child endangerment. A grand jury indicted him Aug. 21 in connection with an investigation that initially led to law enforcement to the home of the Siders family, where authorities found 16 children living in squalor in a small house in the village of Hamden.
Henderson will appear in the Vinton County Common Pleas Court for a pretrial hearing. His attorney, Dorian Baum, has filed a motion requesting a recognizance only bond, which
would allow him to leave jail without posting bail. His bond was previously set at $250,000 cash.
Baum said in the motion Henderson has been experiencing lung issues and was seeing a pulmonologist. Henderson had a Sept. 9 appointment that was scheduled before his arrest, but the jail canceled the appointment, Baum wrote. As of the Oct. 9 motion, jail staff had not rescheduled the appointment or addressed additional medical issues Henderson has experienced in jail.
If released, Henderson would live with his wife, Baum wrote. He is willing to wear a GPS monitor and comply with any other bond requirements.
Henderson faces one second-degree felony and two third-degree felony counts of endangering children, as well as two first-degree misdemeanor counts. Henderson also faces eight counts of gross sexual imposition and eight counts of sexual battery.
The charges stemmed from an investigation into the sexual abuse of a minor family member who was not one of the children living in the Siders' home, prosecutors said.
Henderson is the partner of Virginia Siders, the daughter of Gary Siders Sr. and Christina Siders. Virginia Siders does not face criminal charges. Her son, Joshua David Saunders III, the nephew of Gary Siders Jr. and Elizabeth Siders, faces three counts of rape and one count of gross sexual imposition.
Gary Siders Jr. and Elizabeth Siders, parents of the 16 children, face child endangerment charges for their children as well as sex crime charges related to Henderson's and Saunders' cases.
Christina Siders, who lived in the home, also faces child endangerment charges. Similar charges against Gary Siders Sr. were dropped after he was found incompetent to stand trial due to health issues.
Public safety and breaking news reporter Bailey Gallion can be reached at bagallion@dispatch.com.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Defendant in case that led police to Siders home seeks jail release
