In our last post, we noted the recent arrest of a Georgia man who fled to Indiana in order to avoid making child support payments. In that story, it wasn’t clear how much child support the man had evaded.
In another recent story, a 42-year-old Nevada man pleaded guilty on Tuesday to attempted failure to support or maintain a child. He was sentenced to three years of probation for failure to pay nearly $100,000 in child support.
While sources weren’t clear about the reason for the man’s nonpayment, he said that he was attempting to “rectify this situation.” The judge handling the case noted, “It’s astonishing to me that someone can be so offended or astonished at their divorce that it comes to this criminal situation.”
At request of man’s attorney, the judge entered the crime as a misdemeanor rather than a felony. The man’s lawyer pointed out that he has a new job and that if he loses it, having a felony on his record would make it much harder for him to find work.
The man’s noncompliance reportedly stretched over “many years,” and sources seemed to indicate the man had been refusing to cooperate in obtaining work that allowed him to make payments.
The judge ordered him to pay $1,116 a month. In total, he is behind on over $98,000 worth of payments. Monthly probation will be determined by the man’s salary.
The judge in the case ordered the man to make monthly reports of his financial status, employment, and address.
The judge also ordered that the man not consume alcohol or controlled substances during his probation period, that he maintain steady employment, and that he is subject to search and seizure without notice
Source: The Record-Courier, “Deadbeat dad ordered to pay nearly $100,000 in child support,” Sheila Gardner, 22 Feb 2011.