Ohio to award $1 M to assist 16 almost feral siblings found living in feces-filled house of horrors
The state of Ohio is expected to award $1 million to assist the 16 “almost feral” children rescued from a feces-filled house of horrors – as prosecutors consider putting their parents and grandparents permanently behind bars.A state legislative panel on Monday is expected to approve a request from the Ohio Department of Children and Youth to provide the additional state cash to rural Vinton County to assist the victims in the sickening child-abuse case.The Siders siblings range in age from 18 months to 18 years, and some have been described as “almost feral” by authorities, and unable to speak.Removing the children from their home instantly more than doubled the number of kids in temporary custody in Vinton — a daunting challenge for a county with just 12,600 residents and the smallest budget among Ohio’s 88 counties.That’s why the state is stepping in with the $1 million.Vinton County Prosecutor William Archer Jr., said the medical care cost for one defendant alone — the children’s grandfather Gary Siders Sr.
— would have bankrupted the county.This led the court to change the grandfather’s bond and release him from jail on his own recognizance for hospital care, so the county wouldn’t have to foot the bill.Archer said Siders Sr.
had fallen at the jail, and it became apparent that he “has a serious medical condition that requires specialized care.”“Based on the information the county was provided, his medical care could potentially bankrupt Vinton County,” Archer told reporters Wednesday.“We were not going to put that burden also on our local taxpayers.”Siders Sr.
had been held in a county jail on $300,000 cash bond; along with his wife Christina Sanders, 67; son Gary Siders Jr., 36; and daughter-in-law, Elizabeth Siders, 33. The couples’ are collectively facing 68 felony child endangerment charges after authorities allegedly discovered all 16 victims suffering from serious physical harm inside the home on June 30.The ...