The grandfather living in a feces-filled Ohio house of horrors where 16 “almost feral” children were found has been released on bond because he has a serious medical condition that requires care that could bankrupt the entire county, the prosecutor has revealed.
Gary Siders Sr., 73, was hospitalized this week after he fell while being transported from jail to a preliminary court hearing in the sickening child abuse case, Vinton County Prosecutor William Archer said during a Wednesday news conference.
Based on tests that were done at the hospital, it was determined “that Mr. Siders Sr. has a serious medical condition that requires specialized care in a hospital outside this area,” said Archer, who didn’t disclose the nature of the condition or the facility he was taken to.
Vinton County, population 12,800, is one of the poorest in the state — with a median household income of just $70,000, well below the Ohio average.
Up until that point, Siders Sr. had been held in a county jail on $300,000 cash bond; along with his wife Christina Sanders, 67; 36-year-old son Gary Siders Jr.; and daughter-in-law, Elizabeth Siders, 33.
The relatives are collectively facing 68 felony child endangerment charges after authorities allegedly found all 16 children suffering serious physical harm inside the home on June 30.
But when defendants are held inside county jail, their medical bills fall on taxpayers.
“So the county was going to be on the hook for his medical care and…based on the information we were provided, his medical care could potentially bankrupt Vinton County,” Archer explained.
In order to alleviate that “burden,” Archer explained, the attorneys and judge involved in the case decided to change the ailing man’s bond conditions.
Siders Sr.’s new, $300,000 “recognizance bond” will ensure he gets medical treatment — just not on the county’s dime, said Archer — who didn’t say who will ultimately be responsible for the sky-high medical bills.
If he’s released from the hospital, he won’t return to lockup – instead, the state will pay for him to be strapped with a GPS device in order to monitor his movements, according to the attorney and court documents.
“Let me stress – the community is not at risk because of his bond,” Archer said during the news conference.
The prosecutor also highlighted motions recently filed by Siders Sr.’s defense attorney suggesting that he should be evaluated to see if he’s competent to stand trial – and whether he is not guilty by reason of insanity.
The wild-eyed, elderly defendant has shown “significant struggles understanding what the Judge was saying during the [arraignment] hearing, the legal process he is facing, and even basic questions asked of him by the Court,” his attorney, Dorian Baum, wrote in a motion filed Wednesday.
He doesn’t understand the roles of people within the courthouse, including his own counsel – and is unable to maintain a clear and consistent train of thought, Baum argued in the court doc, and suggested her client was “legally insane at the time of the alleged offenses.”
The Siders were arrested after local cops went to their Hamden home to carry out a warrant for an unrelated investigation – and allegedly found the 16 children living inside a cramped 12-by-12 room littered with feces, according to authorities.
The children – who are believed to belong to Gary Siders Jr. and his wife Elizabeth Siders – were taken to hospitals across Ohio following the rescue, some in serious condition, cops said.
The kids, who have never been enrolled in school, can barely communicate – and some cannot speak at all, according to authorities.
The oldest child, 18, is developmentally disabled and unable to even write her name, police said.
Investigators have not yet been able to interview the children, but “they’re all safe and being cared for,” Archer said Wednesday.
The prosecutor couldn’t say when the four defendants – who all pleaded not guilty and waived their preliminary hearings on Tuesday – will face a grand jury.
“The grand jury is a secret process…but we hope to be having information on that within the next couple of weeks,” he told reporters.
“What I will tell you is that this is not Franklin County, who has grand juries every day practically. Normally, Vinton County has a grand jury every other month,” Archer noted.
Vinton County – which covers 415 square miles – is the least populated county in Ohio, with a mostly rural population of roughly 12,800 people. Franklin County, on the other hand, is home to the state’s capital and over 1.3 million residents.
Baum did not respond to a message from The Post.
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