The 44 delinquent New Jersey parents owed more than $867,000 in child support.
SOMERSET -- The Somerset County Sheriff's Office arrested 44 parents delinquent in child support payments totaling $867,416.14 as part of a statewide non-support raid conducted last month through NJ Kids, Sheriff Frank Provenzano announced Tuesday.
Dax T. Gallimmore, 45, of South Bound Brook, was arrested for being $201,405.24 in arrears in child support payments. Others arrested for being more than $50,000 in arrears include Jagdish Parekh, 54, of Franklin Park ($56,734.96), David Szaro, 50, of Somerville ($73,945.59) and Hassain A. Diggs, 43, of Highland Park ($85,358.18) and Richard Dronebarger, 47, of South Bound Brook ($51,072.38).
Twenty-seven Sheriff's Officers, working in teams, served the outstanding warrants and made arrests, Provenzano said.
"This operation was conducted to remind parents of the importance of making regular child support payments and hopefully renew their commitment to do the right thing," said Provenzano. "Child support is a safety net for many Somerset County families.
"Children depend on child support for their basic needs, such as food, shelter, healthcare and back-to-school clothing. Conducting these roundups gives us the ability to better serve children and families with the financial support they need and deserve."
Provenzano added that while the number of arrests is significant, what the statistics don't show is how many parents paid up once they knew law enforcement was looking for them.
Provenzano requested that anyone with knowledge of individuals with outstanding child support warrants to contact the Somerset County Sheriff's Office at 908-231-7140, ext. 9.
Dave Hutchinson may be reached at dhutchinson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @DHutch_SL. Find NJ.com on Facebook.