OMG!!! Child support suspended my drivers license!

Listen folks. I am not a deadbeat dad that hides and runs from my responsibilities. I am a retired deputy sheriff, narcotics detective, court officer. I've spent about 18 years serving you, the public, in different aspects of my employment. I was forced to seek other employment due to a serious heart condition in 2004.

I was able to immediately find work as a sleezy (not really) car salesman. I most recently took a job with a home mortgage company. After attending the licensing classes, passing exams and spending countless hours learning the job, I was then informed by The State of Ohio was unable to license me due to derogatory credit. Derogatory credit!

Yep, you guessed it! My child support order affects my credit negatively, therefor, I cannot be licensed! So I have been searching for employment since July. I have lost my house, and am now living with a girlfriend. To pay my way, I do as much around the house that can possibly be done. All the while still putting in applications and not getting any calls. What's the issue?

Well after applying for another job, I visited the motor vehicles website to get some information for the job I am applying for. LICENSE SUSPENDED! Wow! What a shock! The whole reason I have not received any calls for employment, which is neccessary for survival, child support, and to just feel like a man again, is I have no valid license.

I called Child Support today and was informed that I now have a court date for December 12th and must pay nearly $4000 in full before having my license re-instated! If unable to pay the full amount, without a license, without employment, I could face felony charges and time in prison. That's right, prison! Keep in mind, my son is 17 and daughter is 10. This is the first time i've had trouble finding employment, because they (child support) took my license. To make things worse, the b**ch on the other line, snickered at me! If only I could climb through the phone, I would earn that trip to prison!

You have me praying for you, champ.


This world knows how to challenge us.


These days, however, it's getting beyond a joke.

reply to post by Unrealised

It's unbelievable! Just told my GF the news. She, of course, needs me to find employment soon. Mowing the yard, cooking dinner and cleaning only goes so far and certainly doesn't help pay her mortgage and bills.

Years ago, I was in a similar situation. My ex kept demanding more and more money and getting the courts to follow her wishes, because her parents could afford a high powered lawyer. Me? Could not even afford a bad one. Needless to say, I got pretty screwed.

Almost every penny went to her. Yes, I said her, not to my daughter that I was actually wanting to support. I found out that my ex used a vast majority of the money she got from me on herself.

Then she'd claim hardship and ask the court to demand I give more money.

I kept myself alive and kept up the payments as best as I could, but I was certainly skirting the line sometimes between whether I wanted to eat once a day or twice.

When my second wife left our family and abandoned our kiddos (she just one day walked away and has never even called), I didn't even ask for support from her.

reply to post by GNOarmy

Wow! That totally sucks!

How in the hell do they expect you to find gainful employment without a license, and how do they expect you to pay $4000 to get your license back without gainful employment? And then threaten you with prison time? Remind me to stay away from Ohio. Not that I owe anyone, anything, but it sounds like they draw names from a hat, to see who they can torture this year. And you got "lucky". WTF!?

Just goes to show you how easily and quickly these people can ruin your life. They have waaaay too much power.

I really feel for you. It is guys like you that the system just completely screws over. It makes no sense. Get behind in support, we'll take your license. Then how the heck are you suppose to get a job?

Even though my ex was one of the reasons that SOME men SHOULD be labeled as deadbeat, I opted out of the system, and had a written agreement, just between us, that would stand up in court.
Would your ex do that, if she isn't on assistance?

Because the friend of the court, is friend to NOBODY!!!!!!

I'm not sure what your support payments are, I imagine a bit more than mine with two children instead of one.. But to get $4000 behind you must not have paid for a number of months.

I sympathize with what you're going through, but it could have all been avoided by making your child support payments. I've been making child support payments for 12 + years, and have had a stretch where I was unemployed.. My child support still got paid during that time.

So now you have an unpaid judgement against you and thus the derogatory credit. Additionally recent changes to federal law allow them to suspend your drivers license, intercept any tax refund you may have been expecting, etc etc.

If it makes you feel better, my daughter's mom lives with her parents, has virtually no bills, and collects child support from both myself and her son's father, while simultaneously receiving welfare from the state.. She spends the entire summer vacationing while I work 60+ hours a week to take care of my responsibilities. Life is far from fair, but you just have to sack up and do what's expected of you.

You don't need a car to have a job. Bus pass is probably cheaper than fuel anyway.

reply to post by chiefsmom


The courts here tend to follow their own agendas. Ohio was named as one of the states that have the most deadbeat parents. They organized an effort to collect as much support layments as possible and bring to justice, the deadbeats. Of course, rhe ones that are trying will become collateral damage.

double post

GNOarmy
Listen folks. I am not a deadbeat dad that hides and runs from my responsibilities. I am a retired deputy sheriff, narcotics detective, court officer. I've spent about 18 years serving you, the public, in different aspects of my employment.

Sorry to hear of your grief. Sorry to say, serving us ?. You served the system, now the system is serving you! You helped enforce these types of things, friend. Now you are simply on the recieving end. Am I harsh? Yes.Am I wrong? No

TinkerHaus
I'm not sure what your support payments are, I imagine a bit more than mine with two children instead of one.. But to get $4000 behind you must not have paid for a number of months.

I sympathize with what you're going through, but it could have all been avoided by making your child support payments. I've been making child support payments for 12 + years, and have had a stretch where I was unemployed.. My child support still got paid during that time.

So now you have an unpaid judgement against you and thus the derogatory credit. Additionally recent changes to federal law allow them to suspend your drivers license, intercept any tax refund you may have been expecting, etc etc.

If it makes you feel better, my daughter's mom lives with her parents, has virtually no bills, and collects child support from both myself and her son's father, while simultaneously receiving welfare from the state.. She spends the entire summer vacationing while I work 60+ hours a week to take care of my responsibilities. Life is far from fair, but you just have to sack up and do what's expected of you.

You don't need a car to have a job. Bus pass is probably cheaper than fuel anyway.

A number of months? Sure, I guess 3 would be a number. Easier said than done with NO income. Not for lack of trying. Did read the OP?

reply to post by GNOarmy


Your child support is $1300 a month?

You don't have money in the bank?

I read the OP. Did you not read my post? I too was unemployed, but managed to pay my child support and other bills during that time.

Just FYI, if your child support is $1300 a month, and you can't pay because you're unemployed, you should look into changing your court order to match your income. You can do this every 6 months or any time your income changes.

I know this because any time I get a raise or new job, my ex requests that they re-evaluate my income and change my support obligation accordingly.

Maybe you did this, but based on what you've told us here I think not - you should have called ORS or whatever the agency is called in your state AS SOON as you lost your job. It sounds like you just stopped paying without communicating with them at all.

There was a guy in jail down here in Florida for the same reason. He was retired from Publix, had another full time job and was about to graduate with a Bachelor's Degree. The judge gave him an indefinite sentnce until it was paid. It was $500. The guy pleaded in court to have a police officer drive him to the bank and he would get it and come directly back. No way. He had no family living down in Florida and had no way to call long distance. Last I heard he was in the 2 months without doing anything wrong. He didn't even have child support as far as he knew. Apparently, the wife one day went to a hospital ER with their child and couldn't pay, so the put her on Medicaid. It was the state that went after him for the child support because of that one Medicaid bill. He supported his kids the whole time. It is crazy thinking to suspend a DL, which they do in Florida as well, and then expect the person to make a living. If you give them a record and lock them up, there is no way they can earn the money.

Good luck OP. I feel for you! Did you ever have to arrest someone for Writ of Attachment? That is what it is down here and they issue warrants for Writ of Attachment.

reply to post by TinkerHaus


I've tried having it changed and it was. That is the lower amount. The magistrate said to me, " If you don't like it Mr. ***, I suggest you pick up cans". Keep in mind, I was aslo raising another child. This was my argument. I was left with only $550 per month after the last adjustment. He just turned 18. Money in the bank? Nah, not with a house, a son and other bills. I don't live beyond my means, just paycheck to paycheck like most Americans.

As far as a bus pass, not in rural farmville Ohio. Maybe I could hitch a ride to the next cornfield on a combine...lol

reply to post by spirit_horse


No offense, but I call BS on that story.

He didn't know that he had a child support obligation? They search for you, find you, notify you, give you a chance to get a free paternity test (that you can deny and save taxpayer money if you're not a douchebag and know the child is yours), etc.

Without this lengthy process there can be no child support order against you. Your story doesn't hold water - probably "the guy" that it happened to lied to you.

reply to post by TinkerHaus

Unlike your situation, I am fortunate that my children are cared for by their mother. The money does go where it should.

Thats the only thing that seems sane about this.

reply to post by GNOarmy


I hate to add to your woes...but prison is no legitimate excuse for not paying Child Support, even if Child Support is what sent you there. You'll get out for Child Support people to hand you a brand new bill for time/money incurred while serving what amounts to nothing more than additional penalty to the debt.

Er.... They keep adding penalty, interest and fees for the prison time you couldn't work because you weren't free for not paying child support they effectively left you no way to pay.

...and every divorce in the United States today requires a state managed order in place as I understand it. No agreements, even if 100% totally amicable, as I've heard it talked about. The state needs it's piece and handling fees on even the perfect cases.

I'm sorry OP.. I'm not sure what to tell you. Rolleye James covered this for years I listened to her Radio show. The Child Support enforcement system is a special point of outrage for her in how it treats and mistreats everyone for the dollars over kids. (What benefit does the kid get if the parent is serving time for not having money or can't even drive over to visit?)

reply to post by GNOarmy


Oh, I see you are from Ohio too.
my husband (now deceased) was always commited to paying the $800+ dollars a month for child support.
He did seasonal work, so when he would get laid off for the winter they were all over him. year after year. He would get behind a few weeks and here came the threats, etc.
Very stressful. We never understood why they threatened to take his DL (cdl at that) yet expected him to get a job after that. duh.
It seems like the ones that try like hell are the first ones to get hammered.
Just do what you can, play their game. and get a job. even if it's a crummy one it shows you are trying.

reply to post by Wrabbit2000


I have always said, " This whole system needs an enema". Could you imgine the amount of........nevermind.

reply to post by GNOarmy


I wonder if someone could come up with pre-birth agreements like pre-nups for marriage. I wonder if they'd even hold up in court or just be trumped by the system? Child support system is really, really stupid.

Child support should be a designated amount for everyone. Like 300 bucks or something. Anything else needs to either be agreed to beforehand or the woman needs to share custody.

If I was a straight guy and wanted children I'd just donate sperm to a nice lesbian couple. Better than the alternative.

Also, whichever company first comes up with male birth control is going to be very rich.