Ohio child endangerment case is heading to court: So what happens next for the Siders family?

The Siders family case has been all over the news for the last couple of weeks. Earlier this month, it was reported that 16 children had been found and rescued from a home in Ohio, with authorities saying the living conditions they had been kept in were “deplorable”.

The mother of the children is a woman named Elizabeth Siders, who is married to a man called Gary Siders Jr. They, along with Gary’s parents Gary Sr and Christine Siders, have been arrested and charged with 16 counts of second-degree felony child endangerment. They have all pleaded not guilty.

via Southern Ohio Regional Jail

What happens next in the Sider family court case?

The criminal case against the Sider family members is set to begin, and will be heard by a grand jury after all four waived their preliminary hearings. This has allowed the case to move directly toward a possible grand jury indictment.

Unlike trial juries, a grand jury does not decide guilt or innocence. What this means is that a jury will begin by reviewing evidence presented by a prosecutor to determine if there is enough probable cause to charge the suspects with a serious crime. If the jurors agree, they issue a “true bill,” formally starting the criminal trial process.

So, if a grand jury chooses to indict the four Siders family members, prosecutors will proceed to build their case for trial. No date has been set for a possible grand jury.

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Attorneys representing Elizabeth Siders and Gary Siders Sr. have said that right now the case is in the early stages and they are still working through the facts.

If found guilty, the maximum sentence they face is over 100 years

As stated, each of the four suspects face 16 counts of second-degree felony child endangerment. Each charge carries a possible maximum sentence of 8-12 years in prison. That means that, if convicted on every count and ordered to serve every sentence consecutively, each defendant could face more than 100 years in prison.

via Southern Ohio Regional Jail

What happens next for the 16 Sider family children?

Child welfare officials currently have temporary custody of the 16 rescued children. Seven of the rescued children were taken to hospitals, with two being flown to trauma centres. One was in a critical condition. When they are released, all 16 will be placed in new homes.

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