Pearl River County Man Ordered to Pay Back More than $50,000 in Child Support

A Pearl River County man received a suspended sentence and was ordered to pay more than $53,000 in back child support after pleading guilty to one count non-support of a child, Attorney General Jim Hood said.

Timothy Wayne Avery, 40, was sentenced Monday by 15th District Circuit Judge Anthony Mozingo in Pearl River County Circuit Court.

Avery was accused of failing to pay child support for nearly 10 years. He was indicted in June and extradited to Mississippi after fleeing to Kentucky following his arraignment in July.

A bench warrant was issued when he failed to appear in court. Avery was found in contempt of court at least three times for his failure to pay child support. He had previously been incarcerated and had his license suspended for refusing to support his children.

“This father thought it would be easier to run away from his obligation to his children rather than provide them the support they deserve,” Hood said. “You can’t hide from the law, and I thank Judge Mozingo for making sure this man makes up for the monetary losses his children have suffered for too long.”

In addition to the $53,248.12 in restitution, Avery was ordered to pay a $100 investigative fee to the attorney general's office. He was sentenced to five years in prison, but the sentence was suspended. Instead he will serve five years of supervised probation.

The case was prosecuted by Special Assistant Attorney General Kimberly Purdie with the Attorney General's Child Desertion Unit.