The Travis county attorney general’s office has launched a widespread campaign to serve warrants to repeat and first-time offenders who have not honored their legal commitment to pay child support. A senior deputy constable has stated there are approximately one hundred and fifty warrants waiting to be served for missed child support or court appearances. In many cases the offender is not aware that a warrant may have been issued, or he or she may be difficult to locate due to listing of multiple addresses. Officials are out en masse to locate and serve these individuals, visiting homes of girlfriends, mothers, aunts, or other individuals the offenders might be staying with.
Timing is crucial this time of year, given that school is starting and the custodial parent is experiencing added financial burdens of purchasing school supplies, clothing and other related back-to-school expenses for the children.
The mass round-up will include drive-bys, knocking on doors and visiting offices. It is part of a week-long attempt to deliver the court documents to from a few to over a dozen offenders. According to the county senior deputy constable, it is not uncommon to sit and wait for one to two hours in an effort to catch up with the individuals. One news reporter noted on a ride-along that it can be a tedious and frustrating process to locate the recipients of the warrants.
The deputy attorney’s office reports its clerical workers perform extensive research on the whereabouts of the offenders, reporting any updated information on home addresses. In previous searches, the mass roundups have been successful largely in part due to these efforts, resulting in taking many individuals into custody.
According to Travis county authorities, previous round-ups have resulted in locating, arresting and successfully taking offenders into custody. Thus the county jail is getting ready to collect more clients.
Failure to comply with child support payments or appear in court has serious consequences especially for the children of the custodial parent. If your child is not being properly cared for as a result of a violation of court-ordered child support or custodial agreement, there are people who can help maintain your rights and the ability to protect your children.
Source:
khou.com, “Travis County constables begin warrant round-up” Jessica Vess, Sep. 17, 2013