The quiet village of Hamden located about 80 miles southeast of Columbus Ohio became the center of national attention after authorities responded to a residence there on June 30 and discovered 16 children living in conditions that officials described as alarming. The children ranged in age from one to 18 years old and according to allegations many had been isolated inside a 12 by 12 foot room. Reports indicated that a significant number of the children could not speak. Seven of them were taken to hospitals for treatment and two of those cases required air transport to trauma centers in Columbus underscoring the severity of their conditions upon discovery.

PH๏τographs of the interior of the roughly 1850 square foot house that later circulated showed mountains of trash piled in the front room along with a strong reported odor of cat urine. The sparse furnishings and decorations included a framed painting of a tiger and a stained chest freezer. Four adults ᴀssociated with the home were arrested the same day and each now faces 16 separate counts of child endangerment. The defendants are 36 year old Gary Siders II his wife 33 year old Elizabeth Siders his father 73 year old Gary Siders and his mother 66 year old Christina Siders. In the weeks that followed the case continued to develop on the legal front. On July 14 Judge Laina Fetheroff Rogers issued a gag order preventing law enforcement and attorneys connected to the matter from speaking publicly about it. The stated purpose of the order was to prevent a reasonable likelihood of prejudicial pretrial publicity that could interfere with the selection of an impartial jury.

More recently attorney Lee Roberts Jr representing Gary Siders II filed a motion asking the court to order a psychiatric competency evaluation of his client. Roberts further requested that the supporting documents be filed under seal because they contain highly sensitive mental health information. The filings note that the defendant’s competency to stand trial has been raised and that the materials concern his present mental condition. This request for secrecy around the mental health records adds another layer of restricted information to a case that is already under a gag order. Separately the court is awaiting a ruling regarding the competency of the elder Gary Siders who was hospitalized after his arrest due to a serious medical condition.

The combination of the initial discovery of the children the physical condition of the home the medical emergencies involving multiple minors and the subsequent court filings regarding mental competency has turned what began as a rescue operation into a complex multi defendant criminal proceeding. Public interest remains high yet the gag order and the request to seal sensitive documents mean that many details about the defendants’ conditions and the precise circumstances inside the home continue to be shielded from open view. As the legal process moves forward the central questions surrounding how 16 children came to be living in the described environment and whether the adults charged can fully participate in their own defense will remain at the heart of the case.\

Source: https://www.wowktv.com/news/gary-siders-ii-asks-for-mental-competency-evaluation-in-vinton-county-case/