Ex-MLB Player Danny Tartabull Is L.A.'s 'Most Wanted' Deadbeat Dad
Former Major League Baseball player Danny Tartabull is the "most wanted" deadbeat dad in Los Angeles County.
The distinction doesn't come with a trophy, but rather a staggering price tag and potential penalties.
Tartabull owes more than $276,000 in back child support for his two sons, according to the Los Angeles Child Support Services Department, reports Southern California's KNBC-TV.
His name and photo were added this week to the new wanted poster issued by L.A. County officials. According to the poster, the former baseball pro owes almost as much as the other "most wanted" deadbeat dads combined.
Tartabull, who played in the major leagues in the 1980s and 90s and is now 50, pleaded no contest for failing to support his sons in 2011. When he failed to comply with the terms of his probation, Tartabull was ordered to serve a 180-day jail sentence, according to the county agency.
Failure to pay child support comes with a variety of hefty punishments, including wage garnishment, property seizure, the withholding of tax refunds and the revocation of the parent's driver's license.
Out of the many child support enforcement options available, sending a parent to jail is the last resort and, from the court's perspective, the worst case scenario.
Deadbeat dads can be hauled into jail only if they have the money to pay support but choose not to pay; they can't be punished if they actually can't afford to pay.
Money was definitely not an issue for Tartabull. He earned close to $33 million over his 14 major league seasons, according to Baseball-Reference.com.
He just never quite got around to paying the child support.
When Tartabull failed to show up for his 180-day jail sentence, a warrant was issued for his arrest, according to Los Angeles County Child Support Services. The warrant for Tartabull's arrest has now been out for more than a year.
Ever since the arrest warrant was issued, however, the former All-Star has been on the run, according to authorities.
Tartabull faces arrest and more potential jail time if he's apprehended, reports ABC News.
Related Resources:
- Former Yankee Danny Tartabull most wanted deadbeat dad in LA (UPI)
- Terrell Owens' Seahawks Deal May Impact His Child Support (FindLaw's Tarnished Twenty)
- Deion Sanders Gets Custody of Sons, Joint Custody of Daughter (FindLaw's Tarnished Twenty)
- The FindLaw Guide to Getting Child Support Payments (FindLaw - Free Download)