When a court orders a person to do something, they are legally obligated to follow the order. This is true for any type of legal proceeding, including child support orders in Texas and throughout the nation. If a divorced parent fails to make the court-ordered payments, he or she may end up in the middle of a legal problem. Criminal charges might be filed, which could result in serious fines and even time behind bars.
This is what is happening with one man who owes over $68,000 in unpaid support payments for his child. The 52-year-old man apparently ignored a court order to pay child support. The court order was first issued in 2008, according to reports from authorities. The court order was the result of a prior arrest for non-payment of child support, for which he received a ten-year sentence with eight years suspended and two years required to serve.
However, in 2009, the prosecutor brought charges against the man for not paying any of the back child support. The man fled in order to avoid prosecution. However, he was eventually found in July 2013 and arrested by authorities. The man was sentenced to four years behind bars with four years’ probation and was again ordered to pay the owed child support obligations.
Luckily, most child support cases in Texas or any other state do not end like this. Those who are falling behind on court-ordered support payments may be able to file a petition to modify child support in order to obtain a more manageable payment schedule. This can help avoid serious financial and legal problems and, most importantly, it can help keep a person out of prison.
Source: The Clarion-Ledger, “Man sentenced for failing to pay child support,” Lauren Burgoon, Aug. 11, 2013