Florence man sentenced for not paying nearly $30,000 in child support

Published 12:57 pm Friday, June 22, 2018

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A 48-year-old Mississippi man has been sentenced to jail time for failing to pay nearly $30,000 in child support for more than 14 years.

Attorney General Jim Hood says Billy Pickell, of Florence, pleaded guilty Thursday to one felony count of non-support of a child.

Rankin County Circuit Court Judge Steve Ratcliff sentenced him to five years in prison, with one year to serve and four years suspended. He also ordered Pickell to pay $29,669 in restitution in addition to other fees and fines.

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Hood’s office, in a news release, urged anyone with complaints regarding unpaid child support to contact the Department of Human Services’ hotline at 877-882-4916.