A Tacoma man is the nation’s biggest deadbeat parent, according to federal officials.
Kenneth Jones, 52, owes more than $259,000 in child support for his two kids dating back to 1998. He is believed to be in Australia or Hong Kong.
Jones tops the deadbeat parent list kept by the Department of Health and Human Services since January 2012. Similar to the FBI’s most wanted list, it features pictures of alleged deadbeats and basic information on them and their possible whereabouts.
The list is small, with only four accused deadbeats. All of them are dads.
To make it on the deadbeat list, a parent must owe more than $5,000 in child support, live in a different state than the child or have fled to another state or country to avoid paying child support.
The state Division of Child Support declined to provide details on Jones’ case. A DHHS spokesman said he couldn’t talk about the case because it is an open investigation.
An arrest warrant was issued for Jones in June 2006 alleging that he failed to comply with a court order and failed to pay child support.
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