Going online in search of deadbeat parents
By Emanuella Grinberg
Court TV
(Court TV) -- Kimbra Martin tracked her ex-husband across the country for 10 years in search of child support payments for their only son.
But it wasn't until she launched the Web site www.delinquentdad.com, posting his picture and most recent whereabouts on the "Hall of Shame" page, that she caught up with him and brought him to justice.
"I started the site out of my own frustration with child support," Martin said. "I never thought it would get things done so quickly." Law enforcement agencies across the country are following her lead when it comes to tracking down deadbeat parents, by reaching out to the public though the Internet. Dozens of agencies have added "Most Wanted" lists of deadbeat parents to their own Web sites.
"Police often utilize the media and the press for help -- the more people you reach, the better," said Sheriff John Durante of the Montgomery County Police in Pennsylvania. "Through a Web site, the number of people you can reach is phenomenal."
When the Montgomery County Police it launched its Most Wanted list in mid-2000, there were about 3,600 bench warrants out for individuals who had failed to pay child custody. Today, there are about 600.
"The effect of the Web page has been tremendous," Durante said. "These days we're getting most of our news and information through the Internet, so it seemed like the most logical venue."
In reality, most of the lists are amateur Web sites maintained by a department deputy or whoever else has the time to update them.
Child support enforcement is a loose confederation of state and local agencies with different guidelines that answer to the federal office of Child Support Enforcement.
"Getting agencies to work together was the greatest difficulty," Martin said. "While there is legislation to enforce child support payments, there is too much bureaucracy and not enough manpower to pursue obligees across state lines and bring them into custody."
One of the major strengths of the Internet is that it can provide up-to-date information about deadbeats across state lines, no matter where they may be hiding out.
While the criteria for landing a spot on a Most Wanted list varies from site to site, one factor common among most is that the negligent parent must have a warrant out for his or her arrest.
We see the Web site as a measure of last resort," said Adolfo Capistany, spokesperson for the Washington State Division of Child Support, which runs its own Most Wanted deadbeat parents list.
"If you end up on that Web page, it means you have ignored every effort we made to contact you. It means you have avoided payment for at least six months and owe at least $5,000," Capistany said.
Not even celebrities are immune from placement. The Washington DCS site saw its traffic increase when two professional athletes landed on the list.
Former Seattle Seahawks running back Chris Warren owes $103,147 in child support to the mother of his two children, ages 10 and 11, according to the site. He is supposed to pay $5,000 a month.
The state also says Vernon Maxwell, who played for the Seattle Supersonics in 1999, owes $34,000 to the mother of his 2-year-old. He owes even more in Florida. Maxwell was arrested last month for failing to pay $160,000 for his teenage son there.
"Once the media got hold of that information and people found out, we got 35 hits almost immediately and dozens more since," Capistany said, adding that the department is following up those leads.
"The Web site is not a key element of our enforcement program, but it gives the program visibility," he said. "If it returns just $1 to a child, we're doing a good thing."
While there is no national Most Wanted deadbeat dad list, Martin provides the next best service by compiling a list of links to similar pages maintained by various sheriff's departments, county police, and sometimes local and state authorities.
The site also includes links to state and federal sites that provide information for custodial parents who are using the courts to seek payment.
"I get so many e-mails from people who just don't know how to manipulate the courts," Martin said. "I give them hope just by doing the legwork to let them know they're not limited to collection agencies and lawyers -- who charge you -- when it comes to collecting payment."
