Father of 16 rescued Ohio children faces delay in unrelated case against him

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — The father of 16 children rescued from a Vinton County home was set to appear in court Thursday, but the hearing was pushed back for a second time.

Gary Siders II, 36, is one of four adults arrested June 30 and initially charged with 16 counts of child endangerment. Deputies said the children were allegedly kept isolated in a 12-by-12 room. Officials said seven children were hospitalized with two flown to trauma centers, and are now being cared for through the state. See previous coverage in the video player above.

Unlike his wife and parents — the other adults charged in the case — Siders is also facing four unaffiliated counts of public indecency. According to court records, Siders exposed himself outside of his home to people other than those in his household on May 23, May 27, May 29 and May 31.

Two Scioto River drowning victims identified after swim and rescue efforts turn ᴅᴇᴀᴅly
He was scheduled to appear in court Thursday in McArthur, about 70 miles south of Columbus, but his pretrial hearing was pushed back to August, according to court documents filed Wednesday morning. It is the second time his pretrial hearing has been pushed back, with the court date originally scheduled for July 9.

Although officials said they responded to the Siders home on June 30 for a “parallel investigation” involving allegations of domestic abuse and child neglect, it is believed they may have also been serving Siders with a warrant due to the indecent exposure charges.

Vinton County is now responsible for the care of all 16 rescued children, as well as the cost of the criminal cases, public indecency case and children services cases to find permanent custody placements. On July 14, Prosecutor William Archer asked county commissioners for $20,000 in “additional money to help with the cost of the Siders case.”

Archer said if not all of the funding is used, it would be returned to the county. The commissioners said they would discuss and determine where the money will come from. The request is in addition to $1 million approved by the state to help with childcare costs, but Archer said the funding will not cover all costs.

Gary Siders, 73, Christina Siders, 66, and Elizabeth Siders, 33, were arrested alongside Gary Siders II in the child endangerment case. Records show Gary and Christina are Gary Siders II’s parents. Elizabeth and Gary Siders II are listed as the parents on all available birth certificates for the rescued children, and records show the duo married in 2008 when they were 15 and 18, respectively.

A judge issued a gag order to stop future statements made to media outlets in the child endangerment case against Gary Siders II. The four Siders adults are being tried separately, and his is the only case with a gag order issued so far.

A judge has yet to rule on a gag order request in Christina Siders’ case and a reduced bond request in Elizabeth Siders’ case. The court also awaits the results of a competency hearing for Gary Siders I, who was hospitalized not long after his arrest because of a “serious” medical condition. The elder Siders was released on an amended bond in order to be hospitalized; otherwise Archer said paying for his medical costs could have bankrupted the county.

The foursome awaits further action on the child endangerment case, with a grand jury hearing expected in the coming days or weeks.