Henderson County Sheriff Conducts Child Support Roundup
Posted/updated on: November 6, 2013 at 1:16 pm
ATHENS Henderson County Sheriff Ray Nutts deputies, along with other law enforcement officers, arrested 10 Henderson County parents who violated court orders requiring them to pay child support, according to a news release from the Texas Attorney Generals office. Tuesdays sweep was conducted in conjunction with the Texas Attorney Generals Child Support Division. The effort focused on parents who were the subjects of arrest warrants because of their alleged failure to pay child support. Parents have a moral and legal obligation to make regular child support payments, Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott said.
The sweep targeted parents who were wanted for contempt of court because of their alleged failure to pay child support. After attending a 4:30 a.m. briefing, teams of law enforcement officers spanned the county to locate and arrest the suspects before they had a chance to leave their homes for the day. A total of 19 parents including 10 from Tuesdays effort have been arrested since the beginning of October, when roundup preparation began. Delinquent parents arrested on civil warrants face up to six months in jail. Cash bonds posted by delinquent parents seeking release from jail are paid to the custodial parents and children who are owed back child support.
According to the news release, parents who have fallen behind on their child support payments but are not subject to warrants for their arrest should immediately contact the Attorney Generals Child Support Division at (800) 252-8014 to make payment arrangements. Under state and federal law, the Office of the Attorney General can assist families who request child support services and must serve families who currently receive or have received public assistance. Services offered by the Child Support Division include locating absent parents; establishing paternity for children born to unmarried parents; establishing, enforcing, and modifying child and medical support orders; and collecting and distributing child support payments.
Statewide, child support collected by the Office of the Attorney General exceeded $3.6 billion for the state fiscal year that ended Aug. 31, 2013. Henderson County parents paid $9.5 million of that amount.
