(CNN) – An Ohio deputy refuses to give up the hunt on an accused dead-beat-dad. Authorities took 50-year-old Terrance Valliant into custody last week. They say he owes hundreds of thousands of dollars in back child support.
Dashcam video shot by Sandusky police shows the moments as they and deputies from the Huron county sheriff’s department made their move on a long-sought-after fugitive.
Chief Deputy Ted Patrick said, “As far as child support cases go, he was public enemy number one.”
Sitting in the front passenger seat of the red sedan is 50-year-old Terrance Valliant; Terry to his friends. He’s accused of owing 368,000 dollars in back child support to the mothers of his children living in Ohio.
Representatives from Huron County’s Department of Job and Family Services would not say how many youngsters Valliant has in total, or how many he’s failed to support. But authorities say he has 24 support cases pending in Ohio; 18 of them in Huron County, where he sometimes lives.
Patrick said, “That’s pretty unheard of in our county.” He said Valliant has been ignoring court cases and dodging warrants for four years.
His luck ran out Thursday night when Huron County deputy Brad Polachek, who refused to give up on finding Valliant, closed in while working a lead.
So, how do you catch a guy who’s been on the run for years? You stake out his friends, and that’s exactly what the deputy did. Patrick said, “At first he denied that he was Terry Valliant; he gave another name.”
Attempts to reach the mothers of Valliant’s children were unsuccessful. His own mother says she’s deeply embarrassed by her son’s failure to live up to his responsibilities, although she does fault his girlfriends for not being more careful when they were with him.
Valiant is being held in jail for 390 days. That’s 30 days for each of the 13 contempt of court warrants issued against him.
