(NewsNation) — The oldest defendant in Ohio's "House of Horrors" case may never stand trial if his attorney's latest court filings hold up.

Gary Siders Sr. is one of four family members charged after 16 children were found living in squalor in a Hamden, Ohio, home last week.

Siders' attorney, Dorian Baum, has filed a motion asking the court to evaluate his client's competency to stand trial, and said the family may pursue a not-guilty-by-reason-of-insanity defense.

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Baum said during an interview with NewsNation local affiliate WCMH that Siders, 73, showed "significant confusion" about the legal process and struggled to describe "even basic facts about himself."

"This is not some sort of way to sneak around or do something that's underhanded," Baum told WCMH. "This is a part of the process in very many defense cases, and in this case, I do have some very significant concerns for his competence."

The motion comes after Siders fell while being transported to a court appearance and was hospitalized with what Vinton County Prosecutor William Archer described as a serious, undisclosed medical condition.

As a result, Siders' $300,000 cash or surety bond was modified to a recognizance bond, according to NewsNation local affiliate WOWK.

Archer said the change was necessary because counties are financially responsible for the medical care of anyone in custody, and Siders' treatment could have been costly enough to bankrupt Vinton County's budget.

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"We are not going to put that burden also on our local taxpayers," Archer said.

Siders is one of four family members — along with Gary Siders Jr., Elizabeth Siders and Christina Siders — each facing 16 counts of child endangerment after 16 children were removed from a Hamden home last week. All four waived their preliminary hearings Tuesday and have pleaded not guilty.

If Gary Siders Sr. is released from the hospital, he'll be required to wear a GPS tracker. No date has been set for a competency hearing.

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