A man who brought attention to himself over a controversial rental property is in jail in Des Moines County, Iowa, awaiting extradition to Missouri to face felony child support charges. He is accused of owing more than 12 months of payments and is in jail in lieu of bond, which is set at $20,000. He could face a year in prison if convicted of the charge.

The man was arrested when a routine traffic stop check revealed Missouri’s outstanding felony warrant. He has been convicted of drug charges in other states as well. He also drew attention to himself over the proposed purchase of an apartment building and his notification to the current tenants to vacate in 30 days, the minimum permitted by law. Now, the apartment issue is on hold until the child support issue is addressed.

This case underlines the fact that if child support issues are left unaddressed, they can continue to grow and become worse. Many people go to jail for unpaid child support, but often, jail time happens after the parent has been given several opportunities to catch up the payments. In fact, this defendant might receive probation only if he made arrangements to pay back the money.

Often, the courts would rather have a parent out of jail and working to pay back child support than to incarcerate the individual. That choice is usually a last resort for the courts and the parents who are trying to collect back payments. An attorney who handles divorce and child support issues can give sound advice on how to handle child support issues

Source: The Hawk Eye, “Local landlord faces extradition to Missouri,” Michael Anderson, Sept. 27, 2012