The attorney for one of the parents charged in the Vinton County case involving 16 children rescued from a squalid Ohio home has asked a judge to order a mental competency evaluation, raising the possibility that the defendant may not be fit to stand trial.

Gary Siders Jr., 36, faces 16 felony counts of child endangerment along with his wife and parents. On Friday his lawyer, R. Lee Roberts, filed a motion requesting a psychiatric examination. The filing states that the defendant’s competency to stand trial has been raised and that supporting documents contain “highly sensitive mental-health information.” Roberts also asked that those materials be filed under seal.

The request comes after the court already granted gag orders limiting public comments by attorneys and officials connected to the case.

Background of the Case
Authorities entered the family’s home in Hamden, Ohio, on June 30 while investigating public indecency allegations against Siders Jr. Inside they found 16 children, ranging in age from 18 months to 18 years, living in conditions officials described as horrific. Prosecutors say the children had been isolated in a 12-by-12-foot room littered with human waste. Some of the children were reportedly unable to speak.

Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson previously said the children “looked like almost feral animals.”

Siders Jr., his wife Elizabeth Siders, 33, and his parents Gary Siders Sr., 73, and Christina “Lynn” Siders, 67, were each charged with 16 counts of felony child endangerment. Collectively the four adults face 68 felony charges. All have pleaded not guilty and remain jailed on $300,000 bond. If convicted they could face lengthy prison sentences.

Court Proceedings
The case has drawn national attention because of the number of children involved and the extreme conditions described by authorities. A gag order is in place to limit pretrial publicity. Additional defendants in the same case have also sought competency evaluations in recent weeks.

The court has not yet ruled on the request for a psychiatric evaluation of Gary Siders Jr. The investigation and legal proceedings continue under the restrictions of the gag order.

Main Sources: New York Post and court filings reported by People magazine.