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Nearly 100 deadbeat parents arrested in August

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By Michael D. Pitman, Staff Writer Updated 7:57 AM Friday, September 3, 2010

HAMILTON — A Butler County task force cracking down on deadbeat parents arrested nearly 100 offenders in August for non-payment of child support.

Sheriff Richard K. Jones said he and other law enforcement officials “wanted to send a strong message the citizens of Butler County that you must pay to support your children or face the consequences of being incarcerated.”

There were 92 child support arrests made and 123 warrants served during August, which is also Child Support Enforcement Month, according to a news release Thursday, Sept. 2, from the sheriff’s office . Of those parents arrested, more than half, or 48, were classified as “deadbeats” because their non-payment status had reached a felony level.

The sheriff’s office, the Butler County Prosecutor’s Office, Child Support Enforcement Agency and the U.S. Marshal Service teamed up to conduct a sweep of parents with warrants for child support non-payment from Aug. 9 to 12.

That four-day sweep netted 37 arrests, officials said. Those arrested had a total of 24 misdemeanor and 22 felony warrants.

Before the sweep authorities arrested 17 parents, and after the sweep they caught 38 parents, 16 of whom had felony charges.

Lt. Mike Craft, of the sheriff’s office, said he believes the 92 arrests in August may be tops in Ohio.

CSEA Executive Director Cynthia Brown said not all counties track child support arrests.

“I think we’re probably one of the most aggressive in Ohio,” she said.

Brown said the bottom-line message is: Law enforcement is protecting children.

“Kids don’t have a say, they don’t have control,” she said. “Most (parents) who have reached the criminal nonsupport level, they don’t have a relationship with their kids.”

Brown said, hopefully, some of these parents will start a relationship with their children.

Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2175 or mpitman@coxohio.com. Follow at twitter.com/mdpitman.

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