Ithaca man jailed for failure to pay child support

An Ithaca man is facing a thirty-day jail sentence for not paying past due child support, following an appearance in Schuyler County Family Court on Tuesday (October 7, 2014).According to County Attorney Geoffrey Rossi, the man was found in willful violation of a prior court order, due to his failure to pay nearly $1200.00 for the support of his teenage child. The last payment was made in April 2014, according to the Schuyler County Support Collection Unit.The case was prosecuted by assistant County Attorney Steven Getman. Getman argued that a sentence of jail was appropriate, given the failure to make payments for approximately six months. Earlier this year, the child had been on public assistance in Schuyler County, Getman noted.The sentence was imposed by Family Court Judge Dennis Morris. Morris did not order the man immediately incarcerated, but suspended the jail term to give the man time to pay the back support.If the man fails to begin making payments by November 1 he can be returned to court and jailed at that time, Morris held.”Under New York State law, parents who willfully fail to obey court orders of child support can be sentenced to up to six months for contempt of court,” Rossi said. “If the children are on public assistance, the Department of Social Services has standing to prosecute the case in Family Court.”The man’s name was not released to protect the privacy of his child and family.