D.A. Seeks Help in Child-Support Cases

The county district attorney’s office is taking part in a nationwide program to track down child-support evaders.

As part of the “Support Enforcement Enriching Kids” program, county residents can provide anonymous tips on child-support dodgers by calling a toll-free number or by logging on to a World Wide Web site.

“It’s another good resource for locating people who aren’t paying child support,” said Stan Trom, child support director at the district attorney’s office. “Unfortunately, we are a mobile society, and people sometimes make themselves very difficult to find.”

Trom estimates that about 1,000 parents throughout the county aren’t paying child support and cannot be located. While the average child-support debt is $10,000, Trom said there are a few parents who owe as much as $60,000.

The district attorney’s office uses employment, tax, credit and Department of Motor Vehicles records to locate parents. But sometimes those resources don’t work.

“We have access to a lot of records where people are and where they are doing business,” Trom said. “But the parents we can’t find are the ones that have gone into the underground economy.”

The two new nationwide phone numbers are (800) 78-CRIME and (800) 87-FRAUD, and the Web site address is www.wetip.com. Tipsters can receive rewards of up to $250 for information that leads to parents.

The district attorney’s office will also list Ventura County’s top 20 “most wanted” child-support evaders on the Internet.