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Summit officials to be at church to resolve civil or criminal cases
By Ed Meyer
Beacon Journal staff writer
Published on Wednesday, Aug 20, 2008
Summit County officials are offering help on the spot this weekend for parents who want to take steps to resolve their civil or criminal child-support cases.
In a news conference Tuesday, Prosecutor Sherri Bevan Walsh announced that the program, called Child Support Days, will be from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Friday and Saturday at Jerusalem Missionary Baptist Church, 270 E. Wilbeth Road, Akron.
Parents can come to the church to work out their support payments, show proof of employment, have their driver's license reinstated, learn about employment and training opportunities, or turn themselves in if they have outstanding civil or criminal warrants, Walsh said.
Those who wish to make payments at the church may use credit cards, Walsh said.
It will mark the first time in the history of the county's Child Support Enforcement Agency that parents will have a one-stop shot at ''getting back on track with their lives and with their child support,'' Walsh said.
Child Support Days is similar to last year's U.S. Marshals Service Fugitive Safe Surrender program; more than 1,100 fugitives peacefully turned themselves in at The House of the Lord church in Akron.
Bishop Marc Neal, pastor of Jerusalem Missionary Baptist Church, called this weekend's program a ''great opportunity'' for custodial or noncustodial parents to resolve their child support problems.
''We hope that all the parents who may find themselves in a difficult position will take advantage of this, because it is a safe place to come, a safe place to turn yourself in . . . '' and get what is ''necessary so you won't run into any more difficulties in the future,'' Neal said.
Authorities who will be at the church to work with parents include Common Pleas Judge Thomas A. Teodosio, who will handle criminal warrants; Domestic Relations Magistrate Deborah Matz, who will handle civil warrants; Clerk of Courts Daniel M. Horrigan, who will handle the acceptance of child support payments; and sheriff's officials, who will handle booking and security.
Walsh said Oriana House staff members also will offer help on employment opportunities and client-outreach programs.
Chief Sheriff's Deputy Garry Moneypenny said one of the goals of the program is to help as many parents as possible with the burgeoning problems of everyday life.
''There are a lot of decent, hard-working people who get behind in their child support payments for legitimate reasons — they lose their job, now they're behind and they're afraid to approach the judicial system,'' Moneypenny said.
''But now, with Safe Surrender and the gun-buyback program, I think people are seeing that if they show up at these churches, law enforcement and the prosecutor's office are honoring what they're saying.
''This isn't a trick or any type of guise to get you in here and throw handcuffs on you. It's a legitimate way to get people to turn around their lives and move forward,'' Moneypenny said.
According to statistics on file in the prosecutor's office, there are more than 57,000 child support cases in the county. Of those, there are 5,800 license suspensions because of support issues and 311 outstanding civil and criminal warrants.
For more information about the program, call the CSEA office at 330-643-2765.
Ed Meyer can be reached at 330-996-3784 or emeyer@thebeaconjournal.com.
Summit County officials are offering help on the spot this weekend for parents who want to take steps to resolve their civil or criminal child-support cases.
Get the full article here.
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