Department of Social Services
For Immediate Release: Thursday, July 17, 2003
For More Information: Alisa DeMers, 773-3609

State Distributes Most Wanted Poster
To Find Child Support Offenders

(Pierre) — The Department of Social Services (DSS) has unveiled South Dakota’s latest “Most Wanted” child support poster, featuring six of the state’s most evasive child support offenders.

This year’s poster features five men and one woman who owe, in total, more than $123,000 in back support to their children, according to Terry Walter, DSS Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE) administrator. The poster contains each person’s photograph, physical description, last known address and amount of support owed.

Since the start of the Most Wanted Poster Program in 1995, OCSE has collected more than $361,000 from 45 of the 59 parents featured on the posters, Walter said.

“The Most Wanted posters are an important tool in helping to collect child support from some hard-to-find non-custodial parents,” Walter said. “When the OCSE has exhausted all other location and enforcement methods, we turn to the public to help track down these offenders.”

DSS distributes the posters to post offices, local law enforcement agencies, government offices and child support agencies in other states. The poster is also available on the state’s OCSE Web site at: www.state.sd.us/social/CSE/Resources/MostWanted/poster.htm. People with information or tips on the whereabouts of those on the poster should call Child Support Enforcement at (605) 773-3641 or send an email to cse@state.sd.us.

“The majority of parents not living with their children do care about their children and pay child support,” Walter said. “However, there are a few people, such as those on the poster, who don’t consider payment of their children support a priority, and it’s their kids who suffer.”          

During state fiscal year 2003 (July 1, 2002 to June 30, 2003), OCSE collected $72 million in child support, initiated more than 33,000 enforcement actions to collect child support payments on behalf of families and children, established paternity for more than 3,300 children born out of wedlock, established 2,200 new child support orders and processed 2,600 support order modifications, Walter said.

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