An attorney for Gary Siders II has formally asked a judge to order a psychiatric evaluation to determine whether his client is mentally fit to stand trial in the high-profile Vinton County case involving 16 children rescued from a rural Ohio home.

Lee Roberts Jr., the attorney representing the 36-year-old, filed the motion on Friday. In the documents, he also requested that supporting materials be sealed from public view because they contain “highly sensitive mental-health information.” The filing states that Siders’ competency to stand trial has been raised and that the records concern his present mental condition and the need for a psychiatric examination.

The request comes shortly after Judge Laina Fetheroff Rogers approved a gag order on July 14. That order bars law enforcement and attorneys connected to the case from speaking publicly about it, with the judge citing concerns that outside statements could create prejudicial pretrial publicity and make it harder to seat an impartial jury.

Background of the Case
Gary Siders II was arrested on June 30 along with his father, Gary Siders, 73; his mother, Christina Siders, 66; and his wife, Elizabeth Siders, 33. Each faces 16 counts of child endangerment.

The charges followed a law enforcement entry into their home in Hamden, a small village roughly 80 miles southeast of Columbus. Inside, authorities found 16 children between the ages of 1 and 18. Officials alleged the children had been isolated in a 12-by-12-foot room, and many of them could not speak. Seven of the children were taken to hospitals, with two flown to trauma centers in Columbus.

The court is also still awaiting a decision on a competency evaluation for Gary Siders Sr., who was hospitalized after his arrest due to a serious medical condition. Additional defendants in the case have similarly sought competency evaluations in recent days.

The investigation and legal proceedings remain ongoing under the gag order, limiting what officials can say publicly as the case moves forward through the courts.

Main Sources: WOWK TV / WCMH and court filings.