SAN ANTONIO – The Bexar County Sheriff's Office Fugitive Apprehension Unit has a team dedicated to tracking down parents who do not pay child support.
Statewide, BCSO makes the most arrests for this crime.
According to the Texas Attorney General's Office, there are currently 821 outstanding warrants for child support evasion in the county. That amounts to $32.4 million that parents owe.
"It's an obligation, like I tell these folks when I arrest them," said Deputy Derek Uresti, a member of the Fugitive Apprehension Unit for 11 years.
On Wednesday, Uresti and his partner, Deputy Harry Chamorro, were searching for Daniel Silva, 32.
Silva was arrested in November 2014 for not paying child support, but was later released.
People arrested for failing to pay child support must pay the full amount of their bond rather than a percentage usually required when arrested for other kinds of crimes.
"I usually go to the front door. My partner goes to the back," said Uresti. "I will not go into a house by myself. I will call my partner and say ‘hey, come around' if we think it's pretty secure at the back as well as the front. We'll make entry with caution."
While not a violent crime, Uresti adds that his team still must consider safety when approaching a child support evader.
"The circumstances both ways are dangerous," Uresti said.
As Uresti and Chamorro approached Silva's home, they noticed he was driving past them in the opposite direction.
The duo quickly turned around and sped in Silva's direction.
They arrested Silva after making a traffic stop.
"We were approaching the residence and I looked at the car that was passing us and identified the mug shot with the person who was driving the vehicle," Chamorro said. "A lucky break that we caught -- and turned around and made a traffic stop on him and he's in custody."
During his arrest, Silva said he just recently got a job and was trying to make payments.
"You brought these kids into this world. Its your obligation to fulfill whatever the AG (Attorney General) says to pay," Uresti said. "Period."
