Father Jailed After Child Support Payment Unknowingly Modified

Whether a couple with children is married or not, they both have an obligation to provide for the child, no matter where the child may live. The courts usually determine the amount for each child based on the parents’ earnings. This is usually how child support is calculated here in Utah.

Most non-custodial parents, typically fathers, do not expect to become delinquent in paying child support payments. However, one father not only paid his child support, but he was still apparently jailed for it. According to the father, there had been a modification in the amount of his child support that he was never made aware of until called into court.

According to court records, this father owed nothing as far as back payments. The mother requested that the father pay for her court fees and the judge agreed. The court then stated that the father had not been keeping with the court approved visitation schedule, which he also claims was changed without his knowledge. According to the judge, he was given six months in jail for walking out of the courtroom when the judge found him in contempt. The attorney for the father is working on an appeal.

This is an unusual situation, as many Utah residents might agree. Generally, non-paying parents can go to jail for not paying their child support obligations. As in most cases, the father or non-custodial parent must be notified of any and all case modifications either through the divorce court or by child enforcement agencies.

Source: myfoxhouston.com, Father pays outstanding child support, still gets jail time, Randy Wallace, Jan. 3, 2014