Parents may think that they can get away with not paying child support by moving out of Missouri to another state. However, the truth is that failing to pay child support can lead to a felony charge and warrant out for a person’s arrest. This means that if the parent is found in another state, not only will he or she end up getting arrested, typically he or she will also be sent back to Missouri.
Recently a 35-year-old father was arrested in Tennessee when he went to purchase a handgun and it was discovered he had a warrant out for his arrest for not paying child support for more than a year in Missouri. This was found during the standard background check that comes with purchasing a handgun.
It was not reported how much he owed in child support.
When looking at this case, while it’s unknown why the father fell behind on child support payments, his arrest can be a lesson to any Missouri father.
In general, there may be reasons why a person is not able to pay their child support. Especially in today’s economy, many fathers have found themselves out of work or underpaid. However, in those types of cases were finances play a role, communication is always key. This means reaching out and talking with an attorney to learn how to go about getting a modification to an existing child support order.
The last thing any parent should do is simply stop paying, as this could result in serious criminal consequences.
Source: The Paris Post-Intelligencer, “Paris TN: Missouri man wanted on child support charge nabbed in Henry County,” Nov. 12, 2012