A Vinton County grand jury has filed more charges against the parents and grandparents of 16 children found June 30 in a Hamden home, as well as other charges alleging sexual abuse of a child who is not
a member of their immediate family.
Four members of the Siders family are now charged with multiple countsof felony child endangerment each, as well as misdemeanor child endangerment charges.
Elizabeth Siders and Gary Siders Jr., the parents of the 16 children, are also facing two counts each of sexual battery and two counts each unlawful sexual conduct with a minor. The Ohio Attorney General's office said the allegations are connected to alleged actions between January and September 2022 and involve a minor who is more than 10 years younger than the couple. The child involved is not an immediate family member, the attorney general's office said.
Three members of the family – Christina Siders, 67, Gary Siders Jr., 36, and Elizabeth Siders, 33 – each remain in jail in lieu of a $300,000 bond. Their next court dates, which are expected to be arraignments during which they'll enter a formal plea with their attorneys, have not been scheduled.
The fourth person charged, Gary Siders Sr., 73, is recovering at an undisclosed location after being hospitalized and undergoing treatment for a "serious medical condition," discovered after he fell at the facility where he was being held. His bond was reduced to a recognizance bond, so Vinton County would not be responsible for his medical bills, which officials said could bankrupt the county.
Attorneys for all four Siders relatives have asked for their clients to undergo evaluations to determine their competency to stand trial.
Vinton County law enforcement and the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation searched the home on June 30 on the 100 block of Ohmer Street in Hamden, about 80 miles southeast of Columbus.
Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson said authorities found the 16 children in conditions he described as "horrific" and one of the worst scenes he's seen in his decades-long career. The children range in age from almost 18 months to 18 years.
Seven of the children were taken to Columbus hospitals for medical treatment, including two flown by medical helicopter. Vinton County has obtained legal custody of all the children, including the 18-year-old, who Wilson and Vinton County Prosecutor William Archer said has significant developmental disabilities.
Vinton County Common Pleas Judge Laina Fetherolf Rogers has granted requests for gag orders in the cases of Christina Siders and Gary Siders Jr.
Reporter Bethany Bruner can be reached at bbruner@dispatch.com.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Siders adults indicted in Vinton County case, new charges added
