Before March 2023, the Miami County Prosecutors Office released the following statement to the Peru Tribune to warn those individuals who are delinquent in child support payments.
“Non-custodial parents with child support cases through the Miami County Title IV-D / Child Support Enforcement Office, who are delinquent on their child support payments, may avoid jail time and other penalties if they take advantage of an initiative beginning March 1. Child Support Amnesty Month will run the entire month of March, while payments are collected.
1,819 children depend on child support adjudicated in Miami County. Currently, there is over $10,000,000 in delinquent child support owed to these children.
The Miami County Prosecutor’s Office, and newly appointed Title IV-D Deputy Prosecutor Abigail Smith, have organized this one-month amnesty program to benefit those parent’s delinquent on their child support. This allows a grace period for delinquent child support payments to be collected.
Beginning April 1, felony non-support charges will be filed, and arrest warrants requested for non-custodial parents who are substantially delinquent on their child support payments.”
On May 26, 11 felony warrants, all for non-support of a dependent child were issued. Five suspects were taken into custody and remanded to the Miami County Jail, while six suspects remain outstanding.
The arrested include five men, all from Peru: Michael Jenkins, 41; Eric Labare, 58; Justin Lees, 42; Derik Thompson, 30; Jason Whitmer, 39.
This was a joint effort by the Peru City Police Department, Miami County Sheriff’s Office, Indiana State Police, and Miami County Prosecutors Office.
