Failing to pay child support jails Woods
Failing to pay child support for his three children brought a six-year sentence to a local man who was two years behind on his payments.
The defendant, Michael Woods, 30, was sentenced to serve 90 days of a six-year sentence by Circuit Court Judge Bart Stanley on the charge of criminal non-support. In addition to his jail time, Woods was warned to keep current with his future child support payments once he is released from jail or face violation of his probation and service of his entire six-year sentence.
The sentence comes after Woods missed 72 weeks of weekly payments for his three children ages 4, 7, and 8. The grand total in child support indebtedness surpassed $17,000 and was accumulated between December 2000 and October 2002.
The crime of criminal non-support is a Class E felony, punishable by one to two years in prison on each count. The charges are brought when a parent, ordered by the court to make a set payment to help support his or her child, fails to meet the court-ordered financial obligation.