Posted on 05/01/2008 6:17:27 AM PDT by sickoflibs
Five defendants were driving from Howard Circuit Court when deputies arrested them on charges of driving with suspended licenses because of delinquent child support payments, said the Howard’s Sheriff’s Office.
“I think they were shocked,” said Lt. Charles Gable, sheriff’s office spokesman, referring to the arrests that occurred Friday and Monday.
“We got all kinds of reactions; the first person we pulled over was like, ‘Wow.’ ”
The defendants are John Porterfield, 43, of Columbia; Denee Powell, 43, of Silver Spring; Riko Johnson, 26, of Annapolis; Craig Myers, 44, of Highland; and Renard Whitehead, 41, of Bowie.
The maximum sentence for driving with a suspended license is a $500 fine and two months in jail, Gable said.
All were released pending a June 26 Howard District Court trial.
The Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration can suspend the driver’s license of any noncustodial parent who has not complied with court-ordered child support for more than 60 days, according to state law.
The Howard Sheriff’s Office received complaints from county child support officials who believed some defendants were driving themselves to and from Circuit Court for child support contempt hearings.
“I guess they never thought someone would actually check to see if they were driving,” Gable said.
The sheriff’s office cross-checked driving records with the court docket and set in motion a plan to arrest the defendants if they tried to drive themselves, Gable said.
A courtroom deputy watched the defendants leave the hearing and then described their clothing to a second deputy standing watch outside.
That deputy observed the defendants get into cars and then notified a third deputy waiting on Courthouse Drive, Gable said.
When the defendants turned onto Courthouse Drive, they were stopped and arrested on charges of driving while suspended as well as some for failing to wear seat belts, Gable said.
Well, that is certainly going to get the child support payments flowing...
Idiotic. How are they supposed to get to work?
RE :”I’m tired of paying to support other men’s children”
Correction, “other women’s children” Remember that unilateral right to terminate that only the mothers has? Well now they, not the children, get a 18 year payoff for getting pregnant or breaking up the marriage ,and the fathers are criminals and slaves to the government.
And we can flip that argument around to how are women supposed to feed their children when the dads won’t pay their court ordered child support. I’m sorry, but these guys don’t have my sympathy. My former son-in-law can’t manage to pay his child support in Maryland and works as a carpenter under the table, BUT can afford to take his girlfriend on a vacation to Florida. He definitely deserves to have is drivers license suspended AND thrown in jail. His having to “worry about how to get to work” is of minimal concern when my daughter has to worry about paying her bills every month and the rest of the family is constantly having to chip in to help out ...
You’re calling for abortion? Gimme a break - I’ll bet everyone of these deadbeats was married at the time of birth... Real men take care of their own.
A little jail time might be good, but you can’t make money to pay child support without a car to get work.
RE :”You’re calling for abortion? “
I am saying the men have no rights, only what you call responsibility, which slavery to the government.
RE :”Gimme a break - I’ll bet everyone of these deadbeats was married at the time of birth... Real men take care of their own”
Even worse, the government offers the mother 18 years of the paycheck for breaking up the family, the father has no say about taking care of anyone, the same courts separate him from his children that take way his license and throw him in jail. One reason, No Fault Divorce for parents reward those who break up the family.
In your rage against men don’t forget there are plenty of worthless mothers who don’t use a cent of child support on their kids or have lost custody of them to their fathers and don’t pay a dime of support.
Look, I’m retired now - but I supported my children and I don’t need your pathetic defense of men who won’t do the same. No, I don’t want to take care of your children. I want you to support your own kids. Is that really too difficult to understand?
A DL should be dependant on the ability to control a vehicle only, not any of this extraneous BS.
RE :” Is that really too difficult to understand?”
It’s very simple. The law makes the women only entitled to the money without review, not the kids, so it’s just a bribe and not a coincidence that middle class single momhood has skyrocketed since this started in early 90s. That’s the program!
The Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration can suspend the driver’s license of any noncustodial parent who has not complied with court-ordered child support for more than 60 days, according to state law.
Kind of like double-secret probation, I guess...
That’s why Ron Paul was against National ID, it would be used to punish fathers like licenses and passports are now (the one thing I agreed with) .
BTW: Maryland DOES give licenses to illegals.
What is not understandable is a system that allows mothers to deprive their kids of resources even though the funding for those resources has been mandated by a court.
As I alluded to in my prior comment, child support is a two way street and in many cases it’s not just men who are at fault for not providing for their kids.
I’d be willing to put money on the percentage of custodial fathers receiving welfare due to a non child-support paying spouse being significantly less than the same for mothers.
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