A lawyer for Christina Siders, the grandmother of the 16 children that were rescued from an Ohio “house of horrors,” claimed she supported her entire family after her son and his wife moved in with their kids.
Siders, 67, was charged with 19 counts of child endangerment after she was arrested alongside her husband, Gary Siders, their son, Gary Siders II, and his wife, Elizabeth Siders, in June. The family was taken into custody after authorities learned about the deplorable conditions of their home.
Her public defender, Kandra Roberts, is now arguing that Christina’s bond should be lowered from its current amount of $300,000, saying she never “threatened anyone” and that she “was only around her grandchildren because her son and his wife decided to reside” at her home, according to People.
The attorney also said that Christina has “never, in her 67 years, been previously charged with a single criminal offense.”
Roberts went on to reveal that Christina has been the sole source of income for the large family.
“Defendant was the only adult in the home who had long been providing for all the other adults and all the children residing in her home,” Roberts said, adding that Christina was responsible for paying “rent, utilities and other necessities in the home.”
At the same time of their arrests, Christina was providing care to her husband amid his ongoing medical issues. While Gary, 73, was also arrested, his bond was dismissed by a judge due to his need for frequent medical treatment.
Roberts argued that Christina did not prioritize her own needs due to her care for Gary.
She said that Christina also “requires medical treatment related to her mental condition and many documented medical diagnoses, all of which can best be addressed while [the] defendant is not incarcerated in jail.”
Judge Laina Fetherolf Rogers has not yet responded to the request.
All four adult family members have pleaded not guilty to the charges they’re facing.
The family’s 16 children are all in the care of the county after they were rescued from the home on June 30. Officials are working to give them the treatment they need following the traumatic conditions they were raised in. Additionally, the state of Ohio has released $1 million in emergency funds to Vinton County in order to care for the children.
As Us previously reported, Elizabeth, 33, and Gary II, 36, were also indicted on additional charges after they were accused of engaging “in sexual conduct with a minor more than 10 years younger than their own age.”
Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson said in a press release that the minor was not a member of the couple’s immediate family and that they were more than 10 years younger than the couple.
They have both pleaded not guilty to the sex abuse charges.
If you or someone you know is experiencing child abuse, call or text Child Help Hotline at 1-800-422-4453.
