12 Arrested in Delinquent Parent Sweep

Editor's note: The following press release is from the DuPage County State's Attorney's Office. 

For the second year in a row, DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert B. Berlin and DuPage County Sheriff John Zaruba joined forces in an effort to collect child support payments from delinquent parents. Dubbed “Operation Love 2,” the endeavor has its sights set on 43 parents who have fallen behind in their child support payments.

“Paying court-ordered child support is not an option,” Berlin said. “In these difficult economic times, single-parent families rely on that income to provide even the basic necessities for their children. My office is one hundred percent committed to making sure that delinquent parents live up to their obligations and pay their child support.”

Early this morning, four teams, each made up of a State’s Attorney Investigator, a DuPage County Children’s Center Investigator and one Sheriff’s Deputy, blanketed the region in search of the delinquent parents. While a majority of the parents listed DuPage County as their home, others lived as far away as Oak Forest, Hillside and Crest Hill. Once contact has been made, the delinquent parent will be placed under arrest, transported to the DuPage County Jail and held or released on Bond. Last year, Operation Love targeted forty-two parents who had fallen behind in their child support payments. Of those, fifteen, who owe a combined $660,027.91, have been arrested.

“This year we hope to duplicate the success we had in 2011,” Berlincontinued. “We will use every tool available to locate delinquent parents and ensure that they make their court-ordered child support payments.”

In all, the delinquent parents owe $1,299,323.81 in unpaid child support.

“Parents have a duty and responsibility to take care of their children,” Sheriff Zaruba said. “They have obligations to fulfill, just like every parent does, but when they are not responsible, there have to be repercussions.”

The DuPage County Child Support Enforcement Program, working with the Illinois Department of Heatlthcare and Family Services, consistently collects millions of dollars in financial support for custodial parents each year with last year totaling approximately $42 million.

If you are in need of child support enforcement services, please contact the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services Child Support Call Center at (800) 447-4278.

By 3 p.m., twelve delinquent parents were arrested in today’s sweep owing a combined $238,213.30 in back child support payments. 

Those arrested today include: Miguel Restrepo, Lombard; Eugene Bresley, Elmhurst; Matthew Brown, Elmhurst; Roberto Davila, Addison; Derik Denton, Downers Grove; Juan Estrada, Itasca; Dennis MacLennan, Aurora; Rene Mendoza, Wood Dale; John Otero, Villa Park; Kevin Stearns, Addison; Arturo Villafuerte, Villa Park; Steven Schanz, Elmhurst.

The last know hometown of others being sought include Woodridge, West Chicago, Glen Ellyn, Westmont, Bartlett, Carol Stream, Roselle, Glendale Heights, Bloomingdale and Warrenville.