by AMY L. ZITKA
Herald Press Staff
It's already been a good year for the Middlesex County Sheriff's Department - and a bad one for deadbeat parents.
From mid-January until Thursday, the sheriffs arrested more than a dozen people owing more than a combined quarter million dollars. This is more than half the amount in child support payments owed by parents arrested last year by county sheriffs.
"The Middlesex sheriff and his entire staff have done an excellent job," Attorney General Richard Blumenthal said Friday. "I'm very impressed by not only their most recent extraordinary sucess - I'm confident they'll continue."
Last year deputy sheriffs in conjunction with the state Support Enforcement Bureau, arrested 60 deadbeat parents owing a total $587,671 in delinquent child support payments, Middlesex County Sheriff Joseph Bibisi said.
Most of the arrests have been done by Deputy Sheriff Phil Schiro, he added.
But within a month's time this year, 15 deadbeat parents owing a total $304,601.27 in child support were arrested, Bibisi said. This amount of payments owed is about 52 percent of last year's arrests.
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"We're way ahead of last year," Bibisi said. "Five hundred and eighty-seven thousand dollars, that's a lot for a small county."
Between Jan 14 and Thursday, the highest amount owed in delinquent support payments by one person was $50,000, while the olwest was $850, according to arrest information supplied by Bibisi. Most are from the county - several are from Middletown - and others from other parts of the state. The average age of deadbeat parents arrested was 34 years old.
"Child support is a multi-million dollar problem in Connecticut," Blumenthal said, It affects the family and children."
"When deadbeat parents fail to meet their payments, all of us suffer," he said. "We often pay the bill in welfare payments to fill this gap.
None of those arrested in the past month were recognized as repeat offenders, Bibisi daid. "In this county they're paying so far."
A prisoner must make the child support payments or remain in jail, according to state law.
The attorney general's office has increased its focus on child support issues in the past four or five years, Blumenthal said.
The increased efforts include having a driver's license revocation program, Internal Revenue Service seizure of wages and assets and a "most wanted" poster program that is intended to increase arrests of deadbeat parents by getting neighbors to call in their whereabouts.
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In recent month, Middlesex sheriffs have arrested two dead beat parents on Blumenthal's "Top 10" posters. One of those was arrested earlier this month, Bibisi said.
On Feb 2 Michael Deleaney, 31, of Middletown was arrested on a warrant for failing to make child support payments totaling $8,000.
"We have been actively looking for him," Bibisi said. "We spotted him in line to the prosecutor [office]."
No other information was available Friday on Delaney.
In December, Schiro happened to arrest one of Blumenthal's most wanted deadbeat parents from outside the county.
Walter J. Hoddinott, 43, of Newington, was arrested in Cromwell on Dec. 8 and charged with owing $42,853 in child support. Hoddinott was listed on Blumenthal's October poster.
On the poster, Hoddinott was cited as having two children - 12 years old and 10 years old. His last known occupation was listed as phone installer.
"We are involved in an ongoing effort, "Blumenthal said. "We choose to focus periodically on arrest sweeps."
The Middlesex sheriff's department does not participate in the deadbeat parent arrest sweeps, but continues with its ongoing pursuit of those who fail to pay child support, Bibisi said.
"A sustained ongoing effort is very important to collect as much as possible and send a message," Blumenthal said. In seven years, the effort have increased support payment collections by 100 percent, he said.
| Deadbeat busts
These 15 people were arrested this year by the Middlesex County Sheriffs Department for owing child support.
- Jan 14 William Parker, 26, of Middletown owed $13,000
- Jan 16 John H. Robinson, 30, of Middletown, $17,000
- Jan 21 William Dee Perry, 31, of Middletown, $30,000
- Jan 28 Dwayne Lewis, 26, of Middletown, $48,000
- Jan 28 James King, of Middletown, $20,037.40
- Jan 28 Allen Rogers, 31, of Clinton, $1,713.08
- Jan 28 Sean Muff Sr., 30, of Willimantic, $37,000.79
- Jan 28 Christopher Kornatz, 44, of Clinton, $850
- Feb 2 Ernest Craft, 46, of Westbrook, $30,000
- Feb 2 Michael Delaney, 31, of Middletown, $8000
- Feb 10 William W. Watson, 48, of Middletown, $2000
- Feb 18 Kevin James Moore, 33, of Portland, $8000
- Feb 18 Rodney Bitgood, 28, of Higganum, $19,000
- Feb 18 William Mierz, 38, of Meriden, $50,000
- Willie Earl Perry, 33, of Middletown, $20,000
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