When a child relies on the monetary support that one parent is ordered to pay to another, not receiving it can have far-reaching consequences. The needs of children cannot be overstated, and though some parents may not like it, this also goes for the needs of the custodial parent. However, many Texas parents are unable to make their court-ordered payments for various reasons, which can be devastating in the long run for everyone involved. This is what one out-of-state man is facing after he was jailed for his failure to pay child support.
Authorities say that the man was ordered to pay child support in 2011 for the next fifteen years. His payments were set at $215 per month. In 2017, those payments were increased to $265 per month in conjunction with a sentence of probation. At the end of that year, he owed over $18,000 in unpaid child support payments.
Officials say that the man has not made any payments since the 2017 court-ordered change, so he was arrested last year since this was considered a violation of his probation. Authorities recommended that the man serve additional jail time due to his failure to pay. He has already served about six months in jail, and he has now been ordered to serve nearly a year in the county jail.
It can be easy for a parent to fall behind in his or her child support payments. Parents in Texas who are having difficulty either making or receiving court-ordered child support may want to discuss their options with an experienced family law attorney. It is important that children’s needs are met, and regular child support payments are an important part of that.