A Farmington father who has failed to pay more than $50,000 in child support is being extradited from Pennsylvania back to Michigan to face charges.
A warrant charging Christopher Paul Gassman with failure to pay child support was issued a year ago, Oakland County Prosecutor's Office Spokesman Jeff Wattrick said.
Gassman, 47, owes $52,720.09 in child support for two minor children and has not made a payment since July 2024, "despite being employed as an over-the-road truck driver."
He was arrested Sept. 8 in Pennsylvania during a traffic stop and is now being returned to Michigan to face the charge of failure to pay child support, which is punishable by up to four years in prison and/or a $2,000 fine.
Gassman's defense attorney, listed in the court
record as Kristin Smith, could not be immediately reached for comment.
“A child support debt represents resources denied to children,” Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald said. “No one is allowed to run away from this obligation, and we will hold parents accountable when they refuse to financially support their children.”
Macomb County Prosecutor Peter Lucido, whose office recently charged three men who collectively owe more than $32,000 in child support, agreed.
In a statement, Lucido said that the Family Division of the Macomb County Prosecutor's Office oversees felony nonsupport cases where arrears exceed $5,000, payments have not been made for three consecutive months, and there is evidence that the noncustodial parent has the financial means to pay.
Since 2022, the Macomb family division has successfully collected nearly $5.4 million for children from delinquent parents, with "most" of the funds recovered without filing criminal charges.
“Court-ordered child support is not a suggestion — it is a legal obligation," Lucido said. "We will pursue parents who refuse to meet their obligations and hold them accountable. Children should not be forced to bear the consequences of a parent’s failure to do what the law requires."
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Dad extradited to Michigan over $52K in child support
