Authorities Arrest Man for Non-Payment of Child Support

As many people are aware, it is against the law to refuse to pay court-ordered support for children. Most state authorities, such as those in Florida, will work hard to find parents who are severely behind on their child support payments. This is especially true for those who owe money for multiple children. Authorities in another state have located and arrested a man who apparently owes back child support to no less than 14 children.

The 49-year-old man’s problems with the law began in November of 1984 when the first case of non-payment of child support was filed against him. Since then, there have been at least 10 warrants out for his arrest for failing to make child support payments. Additionally, nine different women have filed 15 separate paternity suits against this same man.

The man was found in contempt of court in all 11 cases against him, which prompted the judge to sentence him to 60 to 180 days behind bars for each case. This would add up to a total of 4.5 years in jail. However, as is common in these types of cases, the court judge suspended the jail sentence in order to allow him to pay back the owed support. Now the man must come up with a total of $8,570 by the beginning of December or he will be forced to go to jail.

Although this is an extreme case with 14 children involved, non-payment of child support for just one child can land a parent in jail. In order to avoid this scenario, parents need to make sure that their required monthly payments are affordable. If a parent in Florida finds that his or her support payments are too high, the parent may want to petition the court for a child support modification, which could lower his or her monthly required amount.

Categories