Man gets prison for not paying child support

Lyon County District Attorney Stephen B. Rye has announced a prison sentence for a man who failed to pay child support.

The Third Judicial District Court sentenced 40-year-old Joseph Sahagun of Yerington to 12-32 months in Nevada State Department of Corrections of Failure to Pay Child Support.

Rye says Sahagun owed more than $20,000 in child support, and chose to ignore his support obligation to his children, despite being given several opportunities to pay and having the ability to pay. During sentencing, he was also ordered to pay the back child support.

Rye says, “Parents have a legal obligation to support their children. It is rare that it gets to the point of prison, however, when parents, such as Sahagun, decide to defy court orders, ignore obligations, and engage in a conscious pattern to thwart the justice system and neglect the needs of their children, all during a time they have the ability to support their children, judges should put them in prison. Mr. Sahagun fits this description. He engaged in an intentional pattern of criminal conduct over the course of several years at the expense of his children. The sentence is more than justified. The Lyon County DA Child Support Division works diligently to collect child support, including criminal prosecution in cases such as this.”