Operation 'Deadbeat': 19 Parents Rounded Up in DeKalb

DECATUR, GA -- Nineteen people were arrested Wednesday in a county-wide sweep targeting "deadbeat" parents, the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office said.

The operation nabbed men and women who hadn't been making their court-ordered payments for their children as well as those accused of cruelty to children.

The holidays are a prime time to show up at someone's door, Sheriff Jeff Mann said in a news release. Instead of a chubby man in a red suit, parents are met by deputies with handcuffs.

“The offending parent is already aware of the obligation and is rarely surprised when we show up with an arrest warrant,” Mann was quoted as saying. “When the custodial parent who has been granted support by the courts is unable to obtain that support, it causes a financial hardship that becomes more pronounced this time of the year because of holiday expectations."

Deputies served 179 warrants in all, but 99 of them for outstanding child support payments, amounting to nearly $140,000, the sheriff said.

We hope this extra effort helps families collect at least some of what they are owed,” Mann said.