Missouri bill would allow DNA after paternity deadline

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Cases like one involving a Buchanan County man have inspired efforts to change how Missouri law deals with child-support cases involving men who deny paternity.

A bill in the Missouri Senate would allow men to introduce DNA evidence even after state-set deadlines for contesting paternity have passed. Several other states either recently passed similar laws or are considering doing so.

In the case of David Salazar of Buchanan County, a judge found him guilty of not paying child support to his estranged wife, Shannon McClure, for a daughter that Salazar did not father. Prosecutors want Salazar locked up and an appeals court in Kansas City agreed Tuesday.

Salazar's lawyer, Merle Turner, told The Kansas City Star she would appeal to the Missouri Supreme Court.

Some Missouri lawmakers think the bill that would address cases such as Salazar's will pass.

"There's an increasing awareness that Missouri law is out of sync with the tools science has provided to determine parentage," said Sen. Chris Koster, a Republican from Harrisonville.

The paternity issue is a national one, pitting fairness for men against what's considered in the best interest of the children.

Salazar and his wife agreed that they separated 14 months before she had the child by another man in November 2001. Turner said they couldn't afford a divorce. Salazar's name is on the birth certificate, and the Missouri Division of Child Support Enforcement named him the father without DNA testing.

Salazar didn't contest paternity by a state-set deadline, and a Buchanan County judge found him guilty of not paying $278 a month in child support. Salazar was given a 28-day jail sentence, but appealed.

On Tuesday, the appeals court ruled against Salazar.

Reputed fathers in Missouri and Kansas have one year to contest paternity.

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

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