THE attorney for one of the four adults charged with felony child endangerment has slammed the claims by prosecutors, arguing the accusations leveled by the state are criminalizing poverty.
Dorian Baum, the lawyer for Gary Siders Sr., 73, urged critics to take a step back and let the case play out in court – a similar message attorneys for the other three relatives have argued following their clients’ June 30 arrest.
Gary Siders Sr.’s mugshot after being arrested at his home in Hamden, Ohio, on June 30 Credit: Vinton County Sheriff’s Office
The ailing health of Siders Sr. was apparent as he was wheeled into the jail facility in a wheelchair after his arrest Credit: Law&Crime
Police tape surrounds the Siders family home where authorities said they rescued 16 children living in deplorable conditions Credit: AP
The children’s grandmother, Christina Siders, was one of the four relatives arrested and charged with 16 felony counts of child endangerment Credit: Vinton County Sheriff’s Office
Baum believes prosecutors in Vinton County, Ohio, overreached by charging Siders Sr. with 16 counts of felony child endangerment.
“Everyone should take a deep breath and step back because unfortunately, when all this comes out, [what] we’re going to see is a state entity which is criminalizing poverty and little more,” Baum told Fox affiliate WGHP.
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The arrest of the Siders family made national headlines after authorities in Vinton County disclosed the grim conditions the four relatives and 16 children were living in in their Hamden home.
Sheriff Ryan Cain said the children appeared to be almost like “feral animals,” some unable to speak, adding, “Our livestock was kept in better conditions.
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“It was just a disgusting scene,” he said.
Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson called the scene “pure evil.”
“It really looked third world. It’s the type of thing that we’re not used to seeing here in America,” he said.
“[It’s] almost indescribable.”
State prosecutors have charged all four family members, Siders Sr., his wife Christina Siders, 66, Gary Siders Jr., 36, and Elizabeth Siders, 33, each with 16 counts of felony child endangerment.
All four relatives have pleaded not guilty to all charges. Christina, Elizabeth, and Siders Jr. all remain in jail on $300,000 bail.
Siders Sr. was released from jail and hospitalized due to his ailing medical condition, which prosecutors feared could have bankrupted Vinton County.
Baum slammed Wilson’s initial statements to the media, arguing the attorney general sensationalized the case, which has now been dubbed by news outlets as the “house of horrors.”
“This is not a matter that the AG should have stuck his nose in because everything from these videos to other evidence that I’ve been privy to, minimally pre-indictment, is that the AG didn’t know what the hell he was talking about, period. End of story,” Baum said.
Baum took aim at the videos circulating on social media, which allegedly showed people entering the Siders’ home despite it being sealed off with police tape.
Elizabeth Siders, the mother of all 16 children, has also denied that her children lived like ‘feral animals,’ her attorney said Credit: Vinton County Sheriff’s Office
Debris is strewn on the front lawn of the Siders’ home in Hamden, about 79 miles southeast of Columbus Credit: AP
“It would seem to me that if they’re going to make this as big a deal as they did, they should probably secure the crime scene and knowing what’s going on, at least maybe check in or out once in a while,” the defense attorney added.
Wilson has previously urged the public to stay off the Siders’ property, saying those who enter are trespassing and also warned about the structural safety hazards of the home.
“I’m glad he’s been up there on his ivory tower looking down at all the poor individuals who can’t get it together,” Baum told WGHP.
“But when you go out, when you have a house here with food on the shelves, with all the utilities turned on, that, to me, does not point to the type of situation that the AG was so quick to jump on.”
Elizabeth, the mother of all 16 kids, has also denied that her children lived like “feral animals,” and instead blamed the conditions of the home due to “extreme poverty” and a busy household.
“I mean, if we’re talking about feral children, those are children who do not understand the word, Thomas Stolly, Elizabeth’s attorney, told Chris Cuomo.
“Those are children who we really would want to examine the conditions in which they were living for some sort of abuse.
“If the kids can speak, I think that changes the analysis. The ones that were of appropriate age had social media pages.
“There’s evidence of that online,” he added, denying the allegations by authorities who said some of the children could not communicate or write their names.” Stolly said.
Gary Siders Jr., the father of the 16 children, is facing indecency exposure charges from a separate incident in May Credit: Vinton County Sheriff’s Office
Items including a high chair are seen inside the Siders family home Credit: AP
“This is very clearly a case where my client and the Siders family were living in extreme poverty.
“And sometimes when you’re living in a case like that, you’re living in a home and that’s what you’ve known for years and years.
“You don’t necessarily see how bad things have gotten. You don’t necessarily see this the way that the rest of the world would.”
On Tuesday, an attorney for Christina filed a motion for a competency evaluation and seeking to reduce her $300,000 bail.
Defense attorney Kendra Roberts said in her motion that she believes Christina is not able to “fully comprehend” the court proceedings.
Roberts also argued that her client is unable to help them prepare and defend her case.
In her request to lower Christina’s bond, Roberts underscored her client’s age, medical conditions, and cited that she has no previous criminal history.
The attorney also argued Christina poses no danger to the community and is not a flight risk.
