A father who state officials said was living in squalor with 16 children confined to a single room in an Ohio “House of Horrors” was already facing criminal charges prior to his arrest on June 30.
Gary Siders II, 36, was charged with four counts of public indecency one month before the raid on his home in Hamden, a village 75 miles south of Columbus.
Those charges related to four separate incidents which occurred on May 23, 27, 29 and 31, according to court records obtained by PEOPLE.
Details of the incidents are not available at this time and the attorney for Gary II successfully petitioned a judge to seal all court documents related to the case.
The case report does note that all four counts pertain to an alleged violation of an Ohio code that forbids “recklessly” “expos[ing] the person’s private parts.”
That is a fourth-degree misdemeanor in the state of Ohio, according to the report, with each count punishable by up to 30 days in jail and a fine of up to $250.
Authorities have not said what led to the arrest of Gary II and his wife Elizabeth Siders, 33, on June 30, but court records do show that the public indecency charges were formally filed on June 30, and that the local sheriff’s office was approved to serve a summons to Gary II at his residence on that same day.
What authorities have said is that deputies serving an “unrelated” summons to the residence on June 30 flagged both the condition of the home and the large number of children who appeared to be confined to a single room
Within hours, the 16 children between the ages of 18 months and 18 years — some of whom were “almost like feral animals,” according to authorities — had been removed from the home, with seven sent to hospitals for treatment.
At a press conference one day after the raid, Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson said: “I think if they would have waited another 24 hours, there was a very high probability that we’d be dealing with a death or multiple deaths of these children.”
Wilson said the children were “covered in bugs and squatting and had that like distant look in their eyes.” What’s more, determining the extent of the alleged neglect is challenging because of the children’s “extremely limited” ability to communicate.
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Also arrested on June 30 were Gary II’s parents Gary Siders Sr. and Christina Siders.
The four defendants each entered a plea of not guilty to 16 counts of child neglect while appearing before a judge in the Vinton County Court of Common Pleas on July 1.
Judge Laina Fetherolf set the bond for each defendant at $300,000, but a week later agreed to release one of the four defendants.
That decision came after the attorney representing Gary Sr. argued that due to various medical conditions he is nearly incapable of physically leaving the county, and needs to receive scheduled medical treatment.
The reversal came in large part because the cash-strapped county would have been forced to pay for Gary Sr.’s treatments had he remained in custody, the judge said.
Gary II had been due in court for a hearing on his public indecency charges on July 9, but his lawyer was able to successfully petition the court for a continuance.
In 2021, Gary II and Christina faced truancy charges in a neighboring county after six of their children failed to attend a single day of class almost two months into the school year.
When deputies in that county went to serve Gary II and Elizabeth they found their home vacant. The case was eventually terminated in early 2022.
Wilson said at the July 1 press conference that none of the 16 children rescued from the home were enrolled in school.
He also noted that residents of the neighborhood were unaware there were children living at the home.
