Parents in Dallas, and throughout the state of Texas, are required to care for their children. If they have a child with a person they are no longer involved with whether they’re divorced or were simply in a previous relationship, they still have to adhere to the support agreement and make the monthly payments they’re supposed to make. If they do not, then they are running the risk of facing charges for delinquent payments for not paying child support.
Numerous arrests were made as the state’s Attorney General’s office moved forward with apprehending people who had not made their child support payments as they were obligated to. According to the AG’s office, those who were arrested had warrants out because they had not made the payments to the custodial parents. The parents were found and arrested for contempt of court because they had violated civil court orders.
Those who are found guilty of delinquent payments could wind up in jail for as long as six months. The crackdown on non-paying parents began in August. Legal authorities are urging parents who have warrants out for failing to pay child support to turn themselves in. Those who have fallen behind on their payments but are not yet subject to arrest are advised to contact the AG’s Child Support Division to try and organize a payment plan.
The idea behind child support is not to punish a parent. It is to give a child the care the child needs to flourish. When a custodial parent is not receiving the monthly payments that were legally mandated from the supporting parent, it can cause vast problems for everyone involved. Those who are not having the terms of the support agreement met need to understand how to move forward with getting what they are owed. Those who might be having trouble paying should consider alternatives such as modifications before an arrest warrant is issued. In any case, having legal help with dealing with the situation is an imperative.
Source: NBC DFW, “Attorney General’s Task Force Arrests Dozens of Tarrant County Parents Who Owe Back Child Support,” Sept. 4, 2015