Authorities arrest 63 people in KC-area child support sweep

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Just in time for Father's Day, 63 people have been given a reminder of their parental obligations.

Kansas City police officers and Clay County sheriff's deputies arrested 63 people, including four women, who owe a total of more than $760,000 in missed child support payments.

When police suggested Operation: Deadbeat Dads to Clay County, they thought they would make no more than 10 arrests from the 90 cases, said Clay County prosecutor Daniel White.

"These were warrants that we attempted to serve in the past but for various reasons were not successful," White said. "They went through great effort to get these people in custody, and now it's time to get them on the right track."

Kansas City Police Capt. Jim Pruetting said many warrants contained outdated addresses, so officers used friends, relatives and Social Security records to track down the parents.

All of those arrested lived in Clay County, including in Liberty, Independence and Kansas City. Of those arrested, 40 also were wanted on municipal charges and seven had other state warrants.

One 44-year-old man from Kansas City owed $86,000 in child support, according to police. Pruetting said the case dates to 1989 and the man apparently had never made a payment.

White said those arrested this week already have paid more than $8,000 in back support.

He also said the effort showcases how hard it is to collect child support because many parents who are behind in their payments move or change jobs to avoid making their payments.

Clay County averages about 100 applications a month from those who want to begin collecting support, who are seeking the enforcement of a court order, who want to modify their payments or who want to establish paternity.

Authorities file about 20 civil or criminal enforcement cases each month, with the county currently pursuing about 6,700 active cases. Last year, the county collected about $21.5 million in child support payments.

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Information from: The Kansas City Star, http://www.kcstar.com