HARRISBURG, PA (June 3, 2016) – Parents who are behind in their child or spousal support payments can pay up without fear of arrest and can possibly recover their suspended drivers’ license under a five-day amnesty program announced today by Dauphin County.
To be eligible, clients must appear at the Domestic Relations Office, 25 S. Front St., eighth floor, Harrisburg, between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. between June 13 and June 17. They must make a payment on their arrears and develop a payment plan for any balance owed. They may execute a wage attachment if they are working, or an automatic recurring withdrawal if self-employed, or they may provide medical documentation of any current medical conditions.
The Dauphin County Domestic Relations Office will begin mailing letters and making contact with those individuals who have outstanding warrants or any type of license suspension as a result of unpaid child or spousal support.
Currently, there are 482 cases with outstanding warrants and 679 cases with license suspensions. Any individuals who have a support obligation and have questions or concerns about their case are encouraged to contact the Dauphin County Domestic Relations Office.
Contempt of court proceedings can begin after missing one month of child support payments. On a single charge of contempt of court, a delinquent parent may be held in Dauphin County Prison or its Work Release Center for up to six months with a purge amount calculated up to 26 weeks of past due child support.
Arrest warrants for non-support are usually filed after defendants fail to show up for a Contempt of Court hearing or fail to make a court-ordered payment following such a hearing. Both plaintiffs and defendants are also notified by mail when an arrest warrant is issued.
“It’s an olive branch to people who fear jail time. We want parents to not only pay their child support, but we hope they will become an active part of their children’s lives,” said Dauphin County Court of Common Pleas Judge Jeannine Turgeon, who presides over domestic relations cases. “This is a brief window of opportunity, leading up to Father’s Day, and we urge parents to take advantage of it.”
For more information, delinquent clients may call 717-255-2796 or contact the office by fax at 717-780-6849.
