ANOTHER MOST WANTED DELINQUENT PARENT IS SENTENCED

 

 

 

NEWS FROM DON KNABE

Supervisor, Fourth District

County of Los Angeles

822 Hahn Hall of Administration

 

 

 

        FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                           Contact:         David A. Sommers

                                                                                                                                        (213) 974-1095

                                                                                                                                        (213) 453-6446 (cell)

 

 

ANOTHER MOST WANTED DELINQUENT PARENT IS SENTENCED

 

LOS ANGELES, August 20, 2009 – Osvaldo Fernandez, one of Los Angeles County’s Most Wanted Delinquent Parents, was ordered to serve 90 days in jail recently.  He was remanded into Sheriff’s custody one day after being arrested by District Attorney Investigators working in collaboration with the Los Angeles County’s Child Support Services Department. 

 

In April, 2008 Fernandez pleaded no contest to a charge of criminal contempt for failing to support his 8 year old daughter.  He was placed on probation for 36 months and ordered to make payments.  Despite repeated assurances to the court that he would comply, he made no payments between June 2008 and June 2009.  On July 20, Superior Court Commissioner Marshall Rieger found him in violation of probation and ordered him to surrender on July 22 to serve 45 days in the County Jail.  Fernandez failed to surrender as ordered and a warrant was issued for his arrest.

 

Fernandez, who owes more than $21,000 in unpaid support, was quickly added to the County’s Most Wanted Delinquent Parent website.  His case was turned over to investigators assigned to the Child Support Arrest Warrant Project, a joint effort of the Child Support Services Department and the District Attorney’s office.  Following up on leads provided by associates and former neighbors, a team of two DA Investigators succeeded in tracking down Fernandez.  He peacefully surrendered to them at a downtown location and was transported to the County Jail for booking. 

 

On Wednesday, Fernandez appeared in custody before Commissioner John W. Green at the downtown Central Arraignment Court facility.  Green found Fernandez guilty of a second probation violation for failing to surrender as ordered.   In addition to remanding him to serve the 45 days previously imposed by Commissioner Rieger, Green tacked on 45 more days to the sentence for the additional violation.

 

Since the inception of the Most Wanted Delinquent Parents website in March of last year, 22 parents have had their photos posted with details of their cases and the warrants for their arrest.  15 of the 22 have been arrested or surrendered to court after their photos and stories were made public.

 

The Los Angeles County Child Support Services Department maintains the Most Wanted Delinquent Parent List.  It was developed as a result of an appropriation by the Los Angeles Board of Supervisors on the initiative of Supervisor Don Knabe. 

 

# # #