In Ohio, child support mandates are taken very seriously and people who fail to make child support payments can face heavy legal consequences. Nonetheless, there seems to be a growing number of people who put child support on the back burner. A recent news report highlights the fact that any misconception about child support which results in a failure to pay could result in a legal battle.
Recently, a prosecutor in Ohio reported a total of eight defendants had been indicted for their failure to pay child support. Sum total, the eight owe almost $170,000. A failure to pay child support in Ohio can result in a fifth degree felony charge and possibly up to one year in prison if convicted.
The eight men involved in the case, ages ranging from 32 to 58, each have arraignments scheduled for the middle of this month. Three out of the eight men had never made even a single child support payment. One of the three men who had never made a payment has been indicted twice because he owes money for two children in two separate cases. His total child support deficit amounts to almost $85,000.
The children who have been affected by the men involved in each of these cases range in age from three to 21 years old. For the children over 18, the payments were missed several years ago. Suffice it to say, the custodial parents to whom child support is owed have likely struggled financially over the years. No indication was given in the report as to what may have prompted each man to neglect his child support stipends.
Parents who find themselves on the wrong end of a child support default will likely benefit from consultation with an attorney who concentrates on family law as it pertains to child support. Even if child support payments are long overdue, struggling parents may feel some form of relief knowing justice has been done.
Source: 19 Action News, “Eight defendants indicted for owing $169,524.74 in child support,” Sept. 9, 2011