Thurston Cracks Down On Deadbeat Parents

Thurston County has become the third in the state in which parents who fail to make child support payments may be prosecuted as criminals.

Misdemeanor charges carrying a maximum penalty of a year in jail and a $5,000 fine were brought against three men last week in District Court.

Previously, prosecutors only filed civil contempt charges in Superior Court. Those found to have failed to be in arrears could wind up spending as much as seven days in jail and could be released earlier if they started paying their required payments.

Prosecutor Ed Holm said that will remain the most common tactic, but he also expects to bring about two to five criminal cases a month, each involving at least $10,000 in missed payments.

A similar step was taken earlier in King and Clark counties.

About 40 percent of those ordered to make child support payments in the county fail to do so, according to officials in the state Division of Child Support.

“We’re going to do something about it,” Holm said. “We’re not going to put up with it.”