32 arrested in failure to pay child support

The Anne Arundel County Sheriff's office rounded up 32 people during the Christmas holiday in an annual crackdown on parents who fail to pay court-ordered child support.

"Operation Scrooge II" was the sequel to the first such crackdown, which netted 28 parents last year.

This year's operation began on December 19, when two teams of deputies arrested 11 men and two women who fell behind in support payments or failed to appear at hearings to set payments. The Sheriff's Office receives $150 for each warrant served, money that comes from a $326,667 federal grant to assist in arresting parents who are behind in support.

"We've put more than $5,100 into the county's general fund with just this one program," said Sheriff Robert G. Pepersack Sr. "And even counting a limited amount of overtime used, the total we returned to the people of Anne Arundel County was more than $4,600, a very good return on investment by any standard."