Ohio house of horrors suspect granted bail because his medical care that could bankrupt the county, prosecutor says
The grandfather living in a feces-filled Ohio house of horrors where 16 “almost feral” children were found has been released on bond because he has a serious medical condition that requires care that could bankrupt the entire county, the prosecutor has revealed. Gary Siders Sr., 73, was hospitalized this week after he fell while being transported from jail to a preliminary court hearing in the sickening child abuse case, Vinton County Prosecutor William Archer said during a Wednesday news conference. Based on tests that were done at the hospital, it was determined “that Mr.Siders Sr.
has a serious medical condition that requires specialized care in a hospital outside this area,” said Archer, who didn’t disclose the nature of the condition or the facility he was taken to. Vinton County, population 12,800, is one of the poorest in the state — with a median household income of just $70,000, well below the Ohio average.Up until that point, Siders Sr.
had been held in a county jail on $300,000 cash bond; along with his wife Christina Sanders, 67; 36-year-old son Gary Siders Jr.; and daughter-in-law, Elizabeth Siders, 33. The relatives are collectively facing 68 felony child endangerment charges after authorities allegedly found all 16 children suffering serious physical harm inside the home on June 30.But when defendants are held inside county jail, their medical bills fall on taxpayers.“So the county was going to be on the hook for his medical care and…based on the information we were provided, his medical care could potentially bankrupt Vinton County,” Archer explained.
In order to alleviate that “burden,” Archer explained, the attorneys and judge involved in the case decided to change the ailing man’s bond conditions.Siders Sr.’s new, $300,000 “recognizance bond” will ensure he gets medical treatment — just not on the county’s dime, said Archer — who didn’t say who will ultimately be responsible for the sky-high medical bi...