MONCKS CORNER, SC – Clerk of Court Mary Brown announced today that there will be a Child Support Amnesty Day in Berkeley County on August 5, 2015.
From 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM on that day, 150 individuals with active bench warrants – for lack of child support payments – will be allowed to come to court and get their cases back on regular payment schedules without arrest.
This event will be the first of its kind in Berkeley County and will be done in collaboration with the South Carolina Department of Social Services’ Child Support Division. Additionally, representatives from the Father to Father Project, Inc. will be present for referrals.
Letters to the first 150 people eligible to participate in the program have been mailed out. The letter states that, if the individual appears before 2:00 PM on August 5th and registers to participate in the program, the existing child support bench warrant for said individual will be discharged.
During the program time, an agreement to set up a regular payment schedule will be reached or the matter will be reset for a later hearing. If the individual does not show up on August 5th, the warrant for arrest will remain active. The letter also states very clearly that, if the individual shows up on August 5th, he or she will not be arrested.
“The goals of this program are to clear outstanding bench warrants and get each individual’s case back on track,” said Clerk Brown. “There are many payers with medical issues, job loss or other legitimate reasons for falling behind. This program will help the payers get on track and help the would-be recipients receive owed and needed money. August 5th will be the first of what we hope to be 3 or 4 child support amnesty programs per year.”
Should individuals have questions about this program, they should call the Berkeley County Clerk of Court Office at 843-723-3800.
Recent Comments