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Vinton County mother pleads not guilty to charges of sexually abusing a child she’s related to
By: David Forster
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ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB) — A Vinton County woman already facing felony charges that she put her own children in danger pled not guilty Wednesday to sexual abuse charges in a separate case involving a young teenager.
Elizabeth Siders was indicted several weeks ago on two felony counts each of sexual battery and unlawful sexual contact with a minor. According to the indictment, Siders is the aunt of the minor, who was at least 13 but under age 16 at the time of the alleged crimes in 2022. Siders was 29 years old at the time.
The children were a surprise discovery. Officers were there with a search warrant in an investigation involving Elizabeth’s husband, Gary Siders Jr. That investigation involved the teenage child Elizabeth is now accused of abusing.
Gary Jr. was indicted on the same sexual abuse charges as Elizabeth and pled not guilty at his arraignment late last month. He also faces multiple child endangerment charges involving his own children, as do his mother, Christina, and father, Gary Sr., who were living in the home with their grandchildren.
The four defendants each requested evaluations to determine whether they are competent to stand trial. The psychiatrist who evaluated Gary Sr. concluded he is not competent and cannot be restored to competency through treatment.
The judge accepted this assessment at Gary Sr.’s evaluation hearing last week, and as a result he will not be tried. The prosecutor will either drop the case against him or request that he be committed to a facility.
Elizabeth’s attorney, Thomas Stolly, said after the arraignment Wednesday that Elizabeth’s evaluation report has not yet been filed. Once it is, an evaluation hearing will be scheduled. It is unclear whether the evaluations of Gary Jr. and Christina have been completed, but as of yet their evaluation hearings have not been scheduled.
The judge set Elizabeth’s bond at $250,000 on the sexual abuse charges. This is on top of the $300,000 bond the judge set earlier on the child endangerment charges.
Stolly argued there was no need for an additional bond because Elizabeth has no means to pay the first one.
Prosecutor William Archer argued the second bond was appropriate because it involves a different victim and because it appears Elizabeth has no place to go should she manage to post bond, and so he considers her a flight risk.