A judge in Vinton County, Ohio, ruled Wednesday that Gary Siders Sr., 73, is mentally incompetent to stand trial on charges of child endangerment.
The Vinton County Prosecutor's office accepted the findings of an evaluation report for Siders, who was charged with 16 counts of child endangerment. The charges stem from an incident on June 30, when authorities discovered 16 grandchildren living in squalid conditions at a rural southern Ohio home in Hamden. The home is located about 80 miles south of Columbus.
Siders appeared in court in a wheelchair, and his attorney, Dorian Baum, stated that Siders' mental health has been declining for years and is "not restorable." Baum added that Siders does not fully understand the proceedings against him.
Investigators reported that the children, ranging in age from 18 months to 18 years, were largely confined to a small room within the house. Some of the children were described as exhibiting "feral" behavior and were unable to speak. Their medical conditions varied.
Authorities noted that the children were not enrolled in school, and the family had moved frequently over the past two decades. Neighbors reported not seeing the children.
Siders' wife, Christina Siders, and their son Gary Siders Jr., along with his daughter-in-law Elizabeth Siders (the children's mother), have all pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Court records indicate that Elizabeth Siders, then 15, married Gary Siders Jr., then 18, in West Virginia in May 2008. She has reportedly been pregnant most years since that marriage.