Texas A.G. says Daisetta man owes $28,455 in child support

From Texas Attorney General's Office 

DAISETTA - Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott today asked his fellow Texans to help locate a father who appears on the Child Support Division's new Top Ten List of Texas' Most Wanted Child Support Evaders.

Jack Neal owes $28,455 for the support of three children. Neal, who may be living in Daisetta, is failing his children by refusing to pay court-ordered child support.

"Jack Neal has turned his back on his children by refusing to pay child support," said Attorney General Abbott. "We urge Texans to help us locate this parent who is wanted by authorities for failing to pay his child support. Parents who ignore their responsibility to support their children must be held accountable for violating the law."

Under Texas law, the attorney general is obligated to release the list, which names parents who owe a combined $521,181 in overdue child support. The subjects are eluding authorities to avoid arrest for failing to pay their court-ordered child support. With the list's release, Attorney General Abbott asked Texans to help authorities locate the missing parents.

Anyone with information regarding Neal's whereabouts is urged to call the Texas Attorney General's Evader Hotline at 866 EVADERS (382-3377), or sending an e-mail message to evaders@oag.state.tx.us . A photograph of Neal, as well as those of other child support evaders, is available on the Texas Attorney General's Web site at www.texasattorneygeneral.gov.

In 2003, Neal was ordered to make child support payments of $340 per month. He did not follow the order. An arrest warrant was issued after Neal failed to appear at a March 2007 enforcement hearing. Due to missed payments and legally mandated interest that accrues on unpaid child support, Neal now owes more than $28,000 in unpaid child support.

The Attorney General's Child Support Division is directed by state and federal law to help collect child support for Texas families. The division handles more than one million cases and collected $2.6 billion in child support the fiscal year that ended Aug 31. More than $13 billion in child support has been collected during the Abbott administration.

To satisfy the Texas Family Code's requirements that certain delinquent cases be released to the public, the OAG's Most Wanted Child Support Evader list helps raise public awareness about noncustodial parents who owe more than $5,000 and are the subject of an arrest warrant. To help ensure this tool is limited to those cases where the public's assistance is most needed, the OAG requires both that the parent's location be unknown and that the parent failed to make child support payments during the previous six months. Additionally, the parent must not be involved in bankruptcy proceedings or receiving welfare benefits. Parents with custody of the children must sign a confidentiality waiver before the evader can be added to the list.

The Top Ten Evaders, with last known address and estimated arrears:

Jimmie McCullough owes $133,866 for two children in Fayetteville.

Last known address: Texarkana

Edward Ringo owes $106,968 for three children.

Last known address: Conroe

Michelle Falco owes $48,413 for two children in Richardson.

Last known address: Algonquin, IL

Angela Keller owes $45,017 for two children in Houston.

Last known address: Livingston

Dean Greer owes $39,837 for one child in Beaumont.

Last known address: Nacogdoches

Ricky Mooring owes $34,794 for one child in Killeen.

Last known address: The Colony

David Long owes $32,370 for one child in Mesquite.

Last known address: Gardena, CA

Jack Neal owes $28,455 for three children in Daisetta.

Last known address: Daisetta

James Hoffmeister owes $22,566 for one child in Midland.

Last known address: Coppell

Jose Avalos owes $18,769 for one child in El Paso.

Last known address: El Paso

A total of 94 evaders have been arrested or located since Attorney General took office in December 2002. Anyone with information about a child support evader should contact the Attorney General by calling 866 EVADERS (382-3377) or e-mailing evaders@oag.state.tx.us.