‘Most Wanted’ Deadbeat Dad Found, Arrested

The Orange County district attorney’s office announced Friday that a deadbeat dad whose picture was featured on this year’s state Department of Social Services’ “most wanted” poster was arrested in Rapid City, S.D. for violating probation.

Carey Eugene Trabue owes his two children--ages 5 and 11--more than $57,000 in child support dating back to June 15, 1993, said Deputy Dist. Atty. Jan Sturla.

Trabue, 39, was arrested Wednesday after he showed up at a Rapid City hospital with a stab wound to his hand resulting from a domestic dispute with his current girlfriend. Sheriff’s officials, who were notified that Trabue was being uncooperative, discovered he was a fugitive.

Trabue was convicted in Orange County in 1994 of willful nonsupport of his children. He served jail time, but fled probation supervision in November 1995.

In September of this year, Trabue was featured as Orange County’s “most wanted” child support evader on a poster distributed by the state’s Child Support Network.

Sturla said Trabue’s debt is not out of the ordinary, and is by no means the highest in Orange County--where some dads owe more than $160,000 in payments. But many custodial parents decline to have the deadbeat dad featured on a poster, he said.

The campaign nevertheless sends an important message.

“It’s to draw attention to the specific individual, and to raise public awareness about the problem, and the amounts of money that have been owed,” Sturla said.

Sturla said Trabue has never made a voluntary payment of child support, and the only money ever collected from him came from deductions from his “work” payments while he was incarcerated at the Orange County Jail for nonsupport of his children.

He is currently being held on $25,000 bail and is scheduled for arraignment on Tuesday, Sturla said.

While Trabue is now facing only charges of violating his probation, Sturla said the district attorney’s office plans to file additional charges of criminal nonsupport of his children when Trabue arrives in Orange County. He will likely be extradited, Sturla said.

Sturla said prosecutors know of no assets in Trabue’s name at this time, but are eager to hear from anyone who knows whether he has any hidden wealth.

His former wife and children still live in Orange County, he said.