Most Washington parents who contribute financially to their children’s needs by order of the court understand the importance of strict adherence to the terms of the court order. If a judge orders a specific payment to be made by a certain date every month, the parent ordered to do so may face serious legal problems for noncompliance. In fact, child support situations like this can lead to criminal charges above and beyond family law proceedings.
A man who owns a cab business in another state is currently sitting behind bars because of a similar situation. He is known as the ‘taxi king’ because he owned so many medallions, which, essentially are certifications of license to operate taxi cabs in a particular location. The man has already faced legal consequences after pleading guilty to trying to get out of paying $50,000 he owed in taxes.
His problems were apparently not over because the mother of his 14-year-old son filed a complaint against him for supposedly owing more than $100,000 in child support. The court ruled in the mother’s favor and the father of two (he has a young daughter with another woman) was led by four police officers out of the courtroom, in handcuffs. Although he asked the judge to reconsider her position, she adamantly refused.
Not every Washington child support case ends with a parent behind bars. Some situations are complicated but can be resolved through amicable discussions. If, at any time, a parent feels unable to resolve such issues on his or her own, local resources can be accessed for support.
