A specially-assigned circuit judge Monday sentenced a Brookhaven man to five years jail time on each of two counts for failure to support his minor children and ordered him to pay nearly $14,000 in back child support after accepting the father’s guilty plea.

William “Riche” Hennington, 49, pleaded guilty Monday to two felony counts of non-support of his son and daughter, according to Attorney General Jim Hood’s office. Assigned Judge Frank Vollor sentenced Hennington to five years in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections with five years suspended and five years of supervised probation for both counts to run concurrently. Hall must repay $13,927.65 for 10 years’ worth of missed child support payments. Vollor’s sentence order requires Hennington to make minimum payments of $220 monthly starting May 1.

Lincoln County Circuit Judges David Strong and Michael Taylor recused themselves from the case. Supreme Court Chief Justice William Waller Jr. assigned Vollor to hear the case August 2018.

In a separate case, Hood said Antoine Spillman, 40, of Louisville, Kentucky, also pleaded guilty Monday to felony counts of non-support of a child. Madison County Circuit Court Judge Dewey Arthur sentenced Spillman to five years in MDOC custody with five years suspended and five years of supervised probation for both counts. Spillman must repay more than $30,000 for seven years’ worth of missed child support payments.

Both cases were prosecuted by Special Assistant Attorneys General Dana Sims of the AG’s Child Desertion Unit and Brad Oberhousen of the AG’s Public Integrity Division.

“Our office will always demand full restitution from deadbeat parents who chose not to provide the lawful financial support for their children,” Hood said. “We thank both Judge Arthur and Judge Vollor for holding both of these men accountable for what they owe their children.”

The Office of the Attorney General prosecutes cases regarding unpaid child support when all other avenues are exhausted or the case has been referred by the Department of Human Services. If you have a complaint regarding unpaid child support, contact the DHS hotline at 877-882-4916.