September 1, 2008 General 0

State’s attorney accused of skipping out on child support
“When we first separated, we had an agreement that I pay her $200 a month. I paid that amount, and much more at times, until she got a different job,” Charles Smith wrote in the statement. “After that happened, we’ve had a standing agreement that neither of us owed the other child support because there have been years that her income was higher than mine, and vice-versa.”

I quote an earlier part of the article:

The papers state that the court ordered Smith (R) to pay $209 per month for the couple’s two children, now 13 and 14. As of Aug. 1, he owed $19,444 in back child support, the papers state.

Another section sounds like a typical deadbeat parent excuse:

“We always have had shared physical custody, the kids splitting time at each household, and have always shared expenses 50/50, reimbursing each other frequently if someone was out-of-pocket more than the other,” Charles Smith said in his statement. “I have never once asked for child support all these years, nor has she.”

There’s one huge issue here.  Mr. Smith is under a court order to pay the money.  His excuses about physical custody mean nothing as in Maryland custody decisions are independent of child support.  OOP reimbursements if they aren’t covered by the court order don’t mean a thing when it comes to paying your child support.  For someone who makes 2-4 times my entire HOUSHOLDS income for him to skip out because of the statements above is ridiculous.  Mr. Smith,  pay your child support..all of it..immediately and stop giving excuses.  You profess to be a Christian AND you are a state’s attorney.  You are in office to enforce the law not break it.  I say if you don’t immediately pay up everything owed and start paying monthly as per the court order then you Mr. Smith should be removed form office as someone who thumbs their nose at the law should not be in a position to enforce it.