No way. He owes 11 months plus extra time for the escape offense. If you just let everyone go who escapes and lives decades without further offenses, then you incentivize escape!

I disagree with alohaman. The fact that he was in jail for non-payment of child support screams to me of Debtor's Prisons, which are Constitutionally illegal. That is why Judges use the B/S scam of "Failing to follow a Judges orders" or Contempt charges to get around the illegal use of their Judicial power. I would escape too, if enslaved falsely for a debt.

The man has been looking over his shoulder for 32 years. I say free him, and let him live out his retirement in peace.

I see they caught a real bad man guilty of severe heinous crimes yet they have all kinds of trouble arresting people who are in this country illegally

Let him go? Did he pay is child support? probably not. his fellow citizens did. he was put in jail for not paying the support owed to raise a child he created. he still owes that money -probably the tax payers.

I fail to see how over taxing an already over taxed system with non payment is productive.

In today's economy I see that as asking for law enforcement to be nannies to some sincere law abiding citizens who simply can not find work.

How about welfare setting up work programs and enforce it by adding and removing funds accordingly?

This would accomplish many beneficial goals.

What a nightmare he must be living. Imagine, living your whole life thinking you might go to prison instantly, at any moment, then actually going. Wow.

And what's really screwed up is that all this was caused because the dude got a little behind on his child support payments.

The only thing he did wrong was escape from prison- seems like some statute of limitations should be in effect for someone who didn't make his child support payments. In a way he did live in a prison for 32 years sweating the idea of being found out & arrested.

This man had a child and ran away from the responsibility of supporting that child. If he would rather run for 32yrs than provide support for his child, than i say he has everything coming to him. Just because you grow old and don't commit anymore crimes doesn't excuse the crimes you did commit. Escape from prison is a crime. Not paying court ordered child support is a crime. How soft have we gotten on crime that we look the other way just because some guy grows old. Why don't all fathers just go on the run then, when ordered to pay child support. All this talk about what the guy went thru, but no comments on what the child or the single mother had to go thru.

Why were they wasting money trying to find this guy? He's not a danger to society or anybody. They should be spending their time trying to put the real criminals (e.g. the crooks on Wall Street) in jail. This guy obviously doesn't have very much money - just worked as a handyman to support himself - and maybe he couldn't afford to make the payments. The old lady probably wanted revenge and had him put away. They ought to just let him go.

It's obvious that they weren't trying to find him, that's how he was able to stay out jail for the past 31 years. They only found him because somebody tipped them off.

Gee, he escapes prison for 35 years, stays out of trouble and lives a decent life. Let him go. It's not like he's a serial killer or rapist out there.

The police seem to have way too much time on their hands. go catch the real criminals.

This man robbed a bank. He was in prison and escaped. He didn't like it there and he lived a clean life and stayed out of trouble all this time. He learned his lesson about what it's lie to be imprisoned, so he went straight.

Almost a one year sentence because he was too poor to pay child support? Wtf? I thought debtor's prisons were illegal. This is ridiculous.

When courts order child support, they take into account ability to pay, so no, he wasn't too poor to pay, he chose not to pay. What's worse is that he decided to live on the lam for 32 years rather than help take care of the child he helped create. Sounds to me he'd endure any hardship to escape an honest debt.

No, courts do not take into account the ability to pay. They claimed that they did so with my ex, but it is too much and she cannot afford to pay. She is very good with her money and not frivolous. Now she is thousands of dollars behind and the state wants to put her in jail. I waived the child support, but a judge ruled that I could not do that. We are still fighting to keep her out of jail.

The child support industry is a sham and a way to control people. Anyone who thinks prison is an acceptable punishment for people who are too poor to pay are just sick and will support anything their government says, or they are receiving child support from their ex and enjoy wielding that power as a threat to their ex.

I don't work in child support directly, but I work in the field, and while the system is FAR from perfect, yes they do at least try to take ability to pay into account. Regardless of your sad situation - and I am really sorry for you both that you're struggling within the system - this guy had the money to go to a brand new place and start a new life. That doesn't make him a millionaire, but starting from scratch requires a little capital - money that he wasn't willing to support the life he created. I see people who are legitimately struggling and those that just aren't willing to take responsibility, and this guy reeks of the latter.

Enna, I am struggling not to be aghast at your ignorance and say something ugly, but really, you work "in the field" of support enforcement and you think they take into account your ability to pay? you are delusional if you think that. FIRST: his child support case was over 30 years ago, they didnt care about ability to pay back then at ALL. SECOND: I dont know about the state you are in, but in the state of South Carolina, if you get behind on child support you go to jail. Period. They dont care if you lost your job, your home or anything else. If you dont have the money you owe you go to jail, simple as that. That is Debtor's prison in my book, and this country is supposed to not allow that. THIRD: they didnt go into detail about his going to brand new place other than to say he has lived in several states, smacks to me much more of a guy drifting with nothing, not a guy with money. Now, all that said, I dont owe child support , my kids are all grown, and I help support my grandkids. However, I have seen good men destroyed by the child support system, especially in this state. Men who loved and wanted to be there for their children, driven into hiding because of a bill they couldnt pay. Men whose ex-wives WANTED them to be part of their kids lives, regardless of support, but, because the children receive medicaid, the mothers are FORCED to prosecute the fathers for support. @myspellcheckerisbroken, you are so right and im sorry for your ex wife. I am glad that you are the type of person to stand for whats right, not try to make things worse just because you arent together. It's impossible to get caught up once you get behind on that crap, I wish you well in getting her off of the rolls of child support and have a personal agreement.

He committed several crimes including identity fraud, tax evasion, and countless IRS infractions, not to mention the abandoned child. I agree with SpcTorres, one of the few real men commenting on this story, because he made the child a priority, shame on this man for deciding that helping to support his own child was to much to ask, and he would rather lead a life of crime for 32 years, than part with a little money and time, to raise his child correctly. I will save my pitty for the child in question, the single mother who struggled to support him/her, and the rest of the family, that he deemed wothless by running away from them, as well. This guy is not a man, he is a greedy, selfcentered, criminal, but thank you again, SpcTorres, you are proof that real men do still exist.

@pds, Your welcome. I'm glad someone else besides me has some sense. I have to admit i was shocked with all the sympathy this guy was getting.

There is no sympathy, it's rule of law. Debtor's prisons are Constitutionally illegal. So a Judge uses a pretext of falsehoods to imprison someone? Do you think a Judge would have the balls to say, "I'm putting you in prison because you didn't pay your bill."

Hell no, he can't do it, that prisoner would walk free, the second it hit the next higher court, so they use lies and loopholes to get around it, by charging "Contempt". That is what I have for anyone who puts money over people, contempt. I thought that is what separated America from the rest of the world, our passion of "Rule of Law." Now like anything that they touch, Republicans have perverted it and made false loopholes to go around it, and it's shameful and anyone who thinks it is alright, should walk a mile in their shoes. (And no I'm not in their shoes, I learned to keep my penis in my pants and not have kids I can't afford, even at 42 years of age.) But I still know what B/S smells like when I see it and smell it, and this charge reeks!

While I hope that some day we have universal health care, I'm not so quick to wish for any kind of socialist work assignments. However, there are so many people out of work who would love to be able to pay their rent, pay for food, transportation, shoes, even thrift clothing, and of course pay for child support or any other necessary expenses that children need.

If we say that we must not have debtor's prisons, that means that we must have work programs for those who lost their jobs. Otherwise, it is the children who suffer. A man who has children he must support can owe more money than he can find work in a month.

I don't have sympathy for this guy, but the difficulties of finding work make this a larger problem.

My ex-wife got thousands behind in child support and I was asked if I wanted to have her prosecuted. I signed a waiver forgiving all the past due and future payments. What good would come from her going to jail. She absolutely wouldn't be able to pay then for sure. Stupid to put people in jail that clearly do not have the ability to pay. Using the contempt of court should be for people that clearly have the ability to pay but just refuse to do so. Taking away drivers licenses make about as much sense, the state is just creating more criminals because these people will drive to find work. We have some screwy laws in this country and even screwier people enforcing them.

I had the same thought. This guy wasn't a bad guy.

pixie1

Unusual that he had no other arrests during those 32 years?? It's not as if he had murdered someone or was robbing banks. He was behind in child support payments. What a fearsome, dangerous criminal! Give me a break! Let him go.

-and then deadbeat dad Joe Walsh gets away in not paying his back child support in more than 112k. Why don't they arrest that poos Joe Walsh. I forget, he's a governor, it's ok for them not to pay. /sarc

When a poor person can't pay a debt, sending them to jail is debtor's prison. When a rich person refuses to pay a debt, sending them to jail is a message that they are not fulfilling an obligation. Rich people can lose everything, but to not pay when they can is criminal. I remember one of the big Republican contributors who was behind in child support; he deserved jail time for posing as poor when he could afford to give such a big donation. Maybe that's why they launder money in those "P.A.C.s"

All I know as a Koala that Humans who don't pay their bills get a bad credit rating. If your broke you're like a beet, you can't bleed but you can be chopped up. I'm really smart for a little bear. Sure wish I understood Calculus like my Chinese cousins the Pandas.

really?? a year for non support. then he would be behind that year he sat in jail, this is a bull@!$%# situation and I don't care what the excuse for not paying support was. I agree with you, this country is something else. Some low life judge full of themselves putting that on him in the first place. I would have run too. Then that " unusual " thing is the most ridiculous statement I have ever heard.

he refused to pay the support for a kid he created. He looks like a nice guy now- but why would he not pay to support his own kid.

mojo77

he refused to pay the support for a kid he created. He looks like a nice guy now- but why would he not pay to support his own kid.

i can answer that one for you np! because some women are witches manifested from the roots of pure evil. they play games with the fathers, and like in my case, your PD for a lawyer convinces you, YOU are finacially responsible for EVERYTHING. to include welfare payments, food stamp payments, education and so on. after my 2nd daughter turns 18 in a matter of days, i will be $75,000.00 in debt to the CSA even tho i have worked, and payed since i was legally responsible. they took 1/2 or better of my check when i took a paycut being laid off and finding a new job usually in a week or 2. that list goes on...

guess how long im going to stick around after my youngest turns 18? i'll leave a vapor trail on my way out. AND THE ONLY reason WHY i am still here, i legally pay my obligation. 18, out of school, no college to pay for (ty for screwing that up for them mom), so legally the state, mostly the female judge, can suck my @$$ raw. not another red cent. ill sit in jail... what ever. i paid my dues adios!

Or maybe the guy's a deadbeat. This works both ways, so without knowing the rest of this man's story, one can't assume whether he or his baby mama is "the bad guy". Wrap it before you tap it, and don't stick your d*ck in crazy. Being misogynistic about your whole ordeal doesn't help prove your case, by the way. I wish I heard more often about authorities actually doing something about deadbeat parents. My stepdad (ex-, he was a raging alcoholic) had an ex-wife that wouldn't pay child support for my step-siblings and more often than not had bench warrants out for her arrest. What'd she get at most? maybe a few days in jail. She was a scummy, shady character. You make a life, you better be prepared to help nourish it.

she only sat a few days because she was a woman. men sit months-years. check that yourself.

I feel sorry for this guy. there should be a statute of limitations for something so insignificant as this. I hope everything works out for him.

I hate the whole legal system that lets child molesters and reckless drivers out on the street, but puts people in jail who have been struggling with loss of jobs.

If we have debtor's prisons, they have to keep track of the incomes better. I've heard of cases where a guy was paid off the books, and another case where a guy had investments overseas, that made their wives pay them for child support, because the children wanted to live in the father's rich house. The women were working at minimum wage jobs, and met their obligations to pay the support, and the judge never investigated where the income of these men came from, how they could afford their big houses. They have the power to put people into jail, but they don't seem to have the power to really do a proper investigation? Something is really wrong with this system, and it is debtor's prison as long as there are no investigations or continuing supervision of situations, including honesty about what happens to people.

People need to take responsibility for themselves and their actions.

If you can't afford babies, don't make babies.

bill, it isnt a matter of affording, its a matter of being screwed buy the justice system. i still dont bring home enough to totally support myself now, and i never have. i cant afford an apt by myself and barely get by. each of my kids mothers made car payments, and yes, house payments off my support. after the car was paid off, along came the house.... i could afford to care my kid, no child support off my wages, and not be in dept to the point i cant see any light like i am now.

the only thing i will actually miss.... the look on the ex's face when she see's the cash cow left town....lol. low life even had the nerve to take my kids paycheck (oldest daughter) from her. she never saw one till i convinced her to move out.

if this guy had it like i did, and like many, many others who said thats enough... i am suprised to see he stayed in the same country.

It makes no sense to put this guy back in prison. Not a violent crime. Sexist marriage laws in this country, so who knows whether his wife even needed it. It's just a travesty that it's being reported by the media and touted as some law inforcment "triumpth". Give me a break. He was no real criminal. The legal system in this country is in so many ways a joke, and a sexist joke at that. Men are targeted so much more than women. What is the point? Waste of tax payers money, and waste of a "probably" good man's life.

Squirreldog,

I don't know anything about your personal circumstances, and I do know people of both sexes who have been screwed by the judicial system. That being said, for every story of a father who struggles to support their children, there is another story of a man who has several children by several women and refuses to support any of them. It is the latter to whom I addressed my comment. The issue is clouded by the fact that most of them, whether screwed by the system or not, will claim that, as you say, "It's not a matter of affording." Forgive me if I, as one of the people that gets to pick up the tab for deadbeat dads, disagree.

denver

there is something called change in circumstances. some people make their payments and along comes unemployment. could you pay support for your kids on an unemployment check? also, we do not have all the evidence in this particular case. because thus dude did not pay, does not justify your rant. i have no problem with my taxes helping these poor kids out, but they have to genuinely need help. too many mammas out there with fancy doos, nail jobs and fancy clothes collecting welfare! this is what needs to be investigated

It's not surprising that he didn't commit any crimes. He wasn't a criminal to begin with. Just a broke jack dog that couldn't pay his child support. The real crime is he was denied being a part of his children's lives and them of his. Poverty is not a crime and there is more to parenting than having lots of money.

You are a IDIOT !

If there was only one child involved, the state should have let him make payments when he found work. The states don't do that though.

I find that I agree with both sides of the argument: people have an obligation to support children, but our society is rigged against poor people that can barely afford to get to work and eat, much less send money. If somebody who is poor to start with then loses their job, they have no savings to protect them from prison.

you clearly do not understand "statue of limitations".

As far as I know, there is no statute of limitations on escaping from prison.

@m-612920

I feel sorry for his kids.....

Really? Even if he had newborns at the time he was incarcerated, those newborn babies would be 30 or above at their youngest. I think they're beyond needing Daddy's help. If he had 10 year old children at the time he was sentenced and began serving his time, those kids are in their 40's now.

Being put back into jail for not paying your child support from 30 years ago is kinda like shutting the barn doors AFTER the horse has bolted. It does no good, and it's a pointless exercise.

Justice?

Will we, as people, feel better about putting a 65 year old man who appears to have been a good citizen (other than the deadbeat dad charge) in jail for something so petty? Will it serve his children's desire for revenge, will it make them feel better, will it help whatever psychological damage they may be dealing with in their adulthood? Will it do anything to rehabilitate this man? Why would we want to do this? What purpose does it serve? To demonstrate to the rest of us Americans that no matter how small your crime, and no matter how long ago your crime was, WE WILL GET YOU, and YOU WILL PAY!!!

Is that the message we want all Americans to learn from this lesson? Nice Job.

I see both sides of the argument, and agree that the poor can't always afford to pay if they lose their jobs.

However, the child support, if a dad does not pay, comes from the state. A woman will receive something anyway if she is on Medicaid. Therefore, there is still a debt to the state. If a woman does not receive state payments for the child, then the mother is still out that much money for the years when she had to hire daycare, or if the children were older, the years when she bought them clothing, school supplies, shoes, food, etc. She might not be able to retire. If she is also 65 like him, she is now facing poverty for the rest of her life. From that standpoint, if the man can afford it, he must pay now.

But it is a big "if." In the case of a handyman who is not rich, there is no point in pursuing this situation, because he is not able to pay her or the state, and it will only cost the taxpayers a lot more to put him in jail. The law is supposed to be for those who have money squirreled away in foreign investments, or who are actually working "off the books." But who is going to investigate this?

With interest calculated all the way up to today. His children deserve that much, at least. Maybe community service in SC for the escape. He did escape, so he does deserve some form of punishment beyond his debt to his children.

so you are FOR men not supporting the children they create? you are FOR women shouldering all the support of the kid?

not so "hot" Miami

mojo - I didn't see hot say she was for men not supporting the children they create. Did you just make that up?

It was the Rhode Island state police violent fugitive task force that arrested this man.

This man has paid already. He's not been involved in the life of his children, so he's lost a fortune there. He's been a handyman and odd jobs guy for decades to keep under the radar. That sounds like a tough life. He was caught living alone, with nobody to love and nobody to love him.

I'm sure it's true that child support payments can be unfair and abused. Money does not go directly to the children. But, they're all grown up now, doing whatever they do, and they've never have a dad.

Sad story.

They are not trying to make the guy sound like anything. They are trying to make Law Enforcement look good and Dedicated to doing their job but they didnt find him for 32 years and it took a snitch to tell the Police where he was. I guess thats how most of the crime is going to have to be solved and have someone arrested . We solve it and then go tell the police down at the Dunkin Donuts

@mojo

Also the child support laws are bogus, and quite skewed in the favor of the female no matter the circumstances. A male has a to have a railroad case to win, and winning is usually more like coming out a bit ahead of even. I know this because I am going through it currently.

I didn't even have a choice in the making of my child (meaning I was drugged but waited to long for a toxic screen cause I didn't realize what happened). Yes it does happen. Even though that is the basis, I still stepped up and paid my support unordered. The mother decided to take me to court anyway, claiming that I never paid her. Even after bringing evidence of payment (make all my payments electronically through my bank), the judge still treated me like a criminal and a deadbeat.

I was transitioning out of the military and had just gotten a MUCH higher paying job so not only was I ordered to pay 700 dollars a month for my child, which is more than 30% of my monthly earnings, that was back dated to back to when I was making less than half of the salary which was the basis for the child support order. This caused me to owe her another thousand dollars in arrears because the judge didn't care about what I had to say.

Fast forward to me taking her back to court six months later to try and get everything rectified. Not only did she have no information in court. She lied to the judge while under youth about how much she was getting paid, even though the documentation she was reading from clearly stated the true numbers and everyone had a copy. She then told the judge to shut the @!$%# up, was almost held in contempt, and still came out with not only the arrears but also 70 dollars more a month. Not to mention she got full physical custody and I only have joint legal. Which means almost nothing in the eyes of the law.

That is the child support system of America, and that is the reason why people like me and Squirreldog have no sympathy for the "poor mother who had to struggle all by herself." Cause that is a very rare occurrence. Even when it does happen, there are so many federal and state funded programs that it's not like a women still wouldn't be able to get by. So please spare me the sob stories of how there are so many "victimized" women. I'm not misogynistic at all, was raised a southern gentleman with great respect for women, but I can see what is clearly happening in front of my face.

@Mojo, lol. Real men pay what they owe. I have to pay what i owe. The mother is a witch and i may not be always able to see my child, but she knows i at least provided support to help take care of her. I didn't just bail out and then come on MSNBC to hear how great i was for bailing.

...and let me say this. There are a lot of people who are saying the guy should have "Wore a glove, or no love". Where does the real fault lay? A woman knows the risk she takes when she spreads her legs. She bears the brunt of the life growing within her. A woman knows that the physical damage done to her body as the life grows. Why would any woman willingly spread her legs for unprotected sex?

The article doesn't say the man was or wasn't married to the woman. But here's what I see every time I come across a Jerry Springer episode playing on TV: Dumb, ignorant, mindless women thinking they've enslaved a man because they've gone and gotten knocked up by a guy. For the most part, they'd be right. The American Judicial system is geared against the Father, awards custody to unfit mothers' constantly while imposing draconion penalties and fees on the poor Father who made the mistake of thinking he was just having some fun.

By the way, how many ways can woman prevent pregnancy? Pill, Norplant, Diaphragm, contraceptive foam, IUD, etc... How many ways can a man prevent pregnancy? A condom. Looks like woman have the most choices and options here.

I'm tired of hearing the argument of "Well, if he didn't want kids, he shouldn't have put it in..." when in reality, woman determine when, where, and how they have sex. Woman have way more contraceptive choices. Woman have most of the power when it comes to sex (how many guys out there pay out the nose for dinner, dates, flowers, time, effort, etc.. just to get to third base with a woman. How much work do woman really need to put in? That's right, all they have to do is say, "Okay").

It's BS. This guy probably paid out the nose to get lucky in the first place. He probably paid out the nose to support the woman and kids while he was sticking around. ...And he was probably told to continue bleeding his life out after the relationship ended. So he bailed. The system was stacked against him. Why not.

Then he was caught not paying his child support and sentenced to a year in Jail. In what possible scenario would this even be considered remotely fair?

By the way, how many ways can woman prevent pregnancy? Pill, Norplant, Diaphragm, contraceptive foam, IUD, etc... How many ways can a man prevent pregnancy? A condom. Looks like woman have the most choices and options here.

...another thought that just hit me... Men only have the condom as our only choice of contraceptive. But, in order to use it, we have to be seconds away from sex and fully sexually aroused. How many guys actually are thinking logically, about their future, at that particular moment in time? Another disadvantage we're at.

Man, men are asked to shoulder a huge burden. When do the ladies get to pay their dues? Thinking about this entire situation makes me feel better knowing we at least get paid more than women who do the same jobs. Maybe that's because Men pay for the dinner, the entertainment, the dates, the honeymoon, the house with the white picket fence, the rose garden, the nursery, the day care, the groceries and utilities, and every kid that comes along. Of course we have to be paid more, we owe more (always) in the end.

The woman also has the option of having an abortion or putting the kid up for adoption, the guy can't force her to do either of those things. So ultimately, the decision to give birth to and raise the child is the woman's; she should bear more responsibility for that child than the guy.

No, no Gloria! He's a very dangerous deadbeat, found in possession of handyman tools. Obviously, I jest. Seriously, he cannot possibly pay that much back support with interest, as it probably totals a quarter million or more, especially with the high interest rates of the 1980's. But putting him back in prison is absurd. To prevent future crimes? He's 65 years old. He will be a very expensive prisoner, especially if he has any health issues.

As for the people who want him to pay the child support, I ask "to whom?" The child would be at least 32 years old now. If Bristol Palin isn't bothering to go after Levi, the rest of us can let this go.

I took the time to read an entire page of comments and BansheeS' comment seems to be the one I agree with the most. We can only form an opinion on the information that's been given us... or make assumptions. The fact that he seems to have had no contact with law enforcement (or the cops were too embarassed to admit that he did) indicates he was either extremely lucky for the circumstances that he chose to live in, he was a very low-key guy who may have been somewhat of a model citizen, or he was an elite criminal mastermind who evaded the cops until one of his higher-ranking minions turned on him in the hopes of taking control of his empire.
Personal experience shapes opinions too and through my experiences with having several break-ins and thefts committed against my personal property... I can say criminal investigations are generally not thorough enough. If the same applies to the areas in which he's lived, that would explain why he was able to elude the authorities for such a long period of time. The article did say he was tipped off.
Sensationalism sells. What I'd like to see is a follow-up story on this article so we the readers can find out what the mother and the child experienced. Was he able to relay messages to them in any way or were they completely oblivious as to whether he was still living or not? Did he have contact with any family members or old friends while he was "on the lam"? Does he know what his child looks like or does he even care? What factors led him to making the decisions he did? His neighbors seemed to think he was a decent guy but there are still a lot of unanswered questions. The headline grabbed our attention but more than likely, there will be no follow-up to this story.
I personally know guys and girls who been screwed by the system. Guys who have been tricked about the paternity of their children and paying without reason. Guys who have paid months after getting custody of their children... why isn't that automatic? Shouldn't they go had in hand? Girls who've tried to chase down disappearing deadbeats. I also know a few deadbeats too and they're usually irresponsible drunks or addicts of some sort. I'd equate accumulating child support fees while being incarcerated as being charged for having the meter running while being waited on by a cab. You always have an option to call another cab. Who calls off the long arm of the law while you're in jail or does that long arm continue to punch you square in the face? Do prisons have child-support work programs for inmates to offset this? If all child support services had access to each other's data bases and always actively cooperated and if legislation required automatic DNA testing upon child birth, this world would be a very different place.
It would also depend on the mother of the child but I would want to be in my child's life in some capacity to contribute to their upbringing. I would feel morally obligated. I know of an expecting couple where the mother-to-be is ready to cheat at a moment's notice. I'm not touching that situation... I just hope God will allow those individuals to see each other for who they truly are. I think things would be a lot simpler if everyone was more upfront with each other. If your intentions are not long-term and are primarily based on self-gratification, let that person know. My rule of thumb: after communicating for a period of time, if I can't picture a woman being the mother of my children, I don't willfully participate in anything that would lead to that woman bearing a child for me. I've avoided potential disaster in the past and shall remain abstinent and childless until I see fit to change that. That method's tried and true but it's also one that few people are willing to try.

I took the time to read an entire page of comments and BansheeS' comment seems to be the one I agree with the most. We can only form an opinion on the information that's been given us... or make assumptions. The fact that he seems to have had no contact with law enforcement (or the cops were too embarassed to admit that he did) indicates he was either extremely lucky for the circumstances that he chose to live in, he was a very low-key guy who may have been somewhat of a model citizen, or he was an elite criminal mastermind who evaded the cops until one of his higher-ranking minions turned on him in the hopes of taking control of his empire.
Personal experience shapes opinions too and through my experiences with having several break-ins and thefts committed against my personal property... I can say criminal investigations are generally not thorough enough. If the same applies to the areas in which he's lived, that would explain why he was able to elude the authorities for such a long period of time. The article did say he was tipped off.
Sensationalism sells. What I'd like to see is a follow-up story on this article so we the readers can find out what the mother and the child experienced. Was he able to relay messages to them in any way or were they completely oblivious as to whether he was still living or not? Did he have contact with any family members or old friends while he was "on the lam"? Does he know what his child looks like or does he even care? What factors led him to making the decisions he did? His neighbors seemed to think he was a decent guy but there are still a lot of unanswered questions. The headline grabbed our attention but more than likely, there will be no follow-up to this story.
I personally know guys and girls who been screwed by the system. Guys who have been tricked about the paternity of their children and paying without reason. Guys who have paid months after getting custody of their children... why isn't that automatic? Shouldn't they go had in hand? Girls who've tried to chase down disappearing deadbeats. I also know a few deadbeats too and they're usually irresponsible drunks or addicts of some sort. I'd equate accumulating child support fees while being incarcerated as being charged for having the meter running while being waited on by a cab. You always have an option to call another cab. Who calls off the long arm of the law while you're in jail or does that long arm continue to punch you square in the face? Do prisons have child-support work programs for inmates to offset this? If all child support services had access to each other's data bases and always actively cooperated and if legislation required automatic DNA testing upon child birth, this world would be a very different place.
It would also depend on the mother of the child but I would want to be in my child's life in some capacity to contribute to their upbringing. I would feel morally obligated. I know of an expecting couple where the mother-to-be is ready to cheat at a moment's notice. I'm not touching that situation... I just hope God will allow those individuals to see each other for who they truly are. I think things would be a lot simpler if everyone was more upfront with each other. If your intentions are not long-term and are primarily based on self-gratification, let that person know. My rule of thumb: after communicating for a period of time, if I can't picture a woman being the mother of my children, I don't willfully participate in anything that would lead to that woman bearing a child for me. I've avoided potential disaster in the past and shall remain abstinent and childless until I see fit to change that. That method's tried and true but it's also one that few people are willing to try.

are you saying he should have had the right to kill the kid so he would not have to support him/her?

Are you saying any woman should have the right to kill a kid if it proves to be inconvenient?

Can't argue choice from only one side.

I don't believe a man should have a choice to abort but I do believe a man should have a choice of whether or not to accept paternal responsibility if the child was conceived outside a committed relationship (long term relationships, marriages, live in partners, etc).

It would prevent many situations like mine where even though I had no choice in the matter, I am still responsible for support. Even if I had toxicology screening to prove she committed the criminal act, I would still be responsible for the support of the child because in the law's eyes it's still "mine".

Kind of a double standard, don't you think?

He's saying if a man doesn't have a choice then neither should the woman.

I knew a guy that was married to a woman, had kids and then got a divorce. Was paying child support big time and then found out he was sterile. Had a paternity test and found out none of the kids were his, guess what the judge said, "tough, you da Daddy, so you must continue to pay". and the ex-wife thought that was the way it was supposed to be. What a scum bag.

Partly because nobody knows the story. We could guess - would that help?

His girlfriend was a biker chick, and screwed anything with pants. Since he was the only one with an income of any kind, she sure as heck wasn't gonna get married and leave this gravy train.

His girlfriend was a born again evangelist who kept telling him he was going to hell if he didn't act like a man.

His kids started killing puppy dogs at age 8 just for the fun of it. His girlfriend dug cocaine and other chicks.

Go ahead mojo - you can add a couple.

True - the only thing we know is that he owed child support. A freind of mine was hauled off one fine summer day due to back child support. Dead beat?

He was paying but when it came time to visit his child she had moved. when he found her, she moved again. He did not even know that she was pregnant with child no# 2 when she ran away with the neighbor. He came home from work one day, the house was empty, as was the bank account.

I had to pay the randsom to the state for money that she had received in assistance or he was off to jail.

The child support was 20+ years old when he was arrested but since the fed's had sent one tax return to the state it extended the statute of lim's.

My friend had a heart attack while in jail for the two weeks it took for me to pay the randsom.