Crime & Safety

Montco Sheriff's Dept. Conducts Surprise Raid on 'Deadbeat Parents'

Eighteen people with bench warrants who are accused of unpaid child support were taken into custody.

Written by Community Editor Nicole Foulke 

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Department (MCSD) and the Domestic Relations Office (DRO) worked together to complete a surprise Nov. 12 1 a.m. raid on alleged “deadbeat parents” who have bench warrants, whose combined unpaid child support allegedly owed was $180,000 for their 25 children, according to a media release from the MCSD.

“Because of your efforts, 18 offenders were put into custody within five hours and some children will get needed money to buy clothing, food and other necessities,” said sheriff Eileen Whalon Behr in the release, speaking to the deputies who participated in the roundup. “Thank you for acting officially and professionally,” she said.

The areas that were targeted included the Norristown and Lower Merion area, the Collegeville and Pottstown area, the Willow Grove area, and the Lansdale and Hatfield area, a representative of the MCSD wrote in an email to Patch.com.

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Earlier, the MCSD and DRO implemented an amnesty program for those who owed child support, which was followed by a sweep in June of this year.

However, this time, they determined that that the defendants had already had ample opportunity to take care of their issues. A number of the defendants had turned themselves in and some said that they would appear, but they again wound up on the “sweep list.”

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Working from a list of 37 bench warrants, deputies worked in Norristown, Lower Merion, Collegeville, Lansdale, Hatfield, Pottstown and Willow Grove, taking the 18 alleged offenders into custody.

The 18 names and amounts allegedly owned were provided by MCSD:

 -Ryan Hrbina - $7,792

-Geraldine Martin-Moody - $859

-Timothy Broscious - $37,212

-Gary Berenbroick - $2,445

-Erick Homa - $12,173

-Richard Stott - $6,394

-David McCourt - $4,287

-William Miller - $47,495

-Heater Walters - $365

-Daniel Reid - $2,210

-Robert Dicks - $4,194

-Kimberly Mason - $1,631

-William Durkin - $4,094

-Jason Lauman - $750

-Andrew DeCarlo - $5,055

-Kathleen Johns - $20,407

-Quincy Cramer  - $1,966

-Allen Vanmatre - $20,374

“This round-up was pretty impressive,” said County Warrants Division Dep. Joanne Plasterer. “We were able to capture fifty percent of our target.”

“There are approximately 15,000 child support cases in the county and 275 of them have warrants for failure to appear at court hearings,” said DRO Enforcement Unit Assistant Director Rebecca Colantuno in the release. “Without the collaboration with the MCSD, we wouldn’t be able to collect these arrears.”

Sheriff Behr addressed the community and asked for their support in finding the other defendants.

According to Gary Kline, the director of the DRO, Montgomery county was the first Class 2A county to do better than the federally mandated performance measures, which rates the office’s effectiveness in collecting court ordered support and arrears.  It also serves as a warning for those who don’t want to deal with the possibility of being shown in the media as not having paid child support.

Seven of the most targeted offenders, who are targeted due to the significant amounts of money that they allegedly owe, are still at large. Names and the amounts allegedly owed were provided by the MCSD. Patch found the towns that they are said to reside in on the Domestic Relations Warrants site:

-Francis McLaughlin (Gladwyne) - $54,788

-Daniel Darden (Norristown) - $67,828

-Jamar Baird  - $20,335

-Alphonse Defrancesco (Blue Bell) - $37,191

-Daryl Postell (Wyndmoor) - $14,481

-Londun Ricketts (Royersford) - $24, 935

-Anthony Garrity (Lansdale) - $25,140

Juan Contreras, who the MCSD formerly considered to be one of the most targeted offenders, and who, according to the MCSD, owed $6,603, turned himself in today. According to the Domestic Relations Warrants site Contreras lives in Norristown.

Since this morning, the following four defendants turned themselves in to law enforcement. Alleged amounts owed were provided by the MCSD.

-Efrain Rodriguez - $3,222.62

-James Quill

-Alexander Scott – the warrants total $59,101.47

-Gerald Lahaise

Those who have an anonymous tip can call the Sheriff Department’s tip line at 610-278-3340, can fill out the online form at “Submit a Tip” form atwww.montcopa.org/FormCenter/Sheriffs-department-8/Submit-a-Tip-45, or send an email to sheriffwarrant@montcopa.org.

The “Domestic Relations Most Wanted for Child Support” list can be found online at www.montcopa.org/sheriff by clicking on the link “Wanted Persons.”



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