One dad's fight to shed a deadbeat label

08:21 PM CDT on Wednesday, June 29, 2005

By Dan Lauck / 11 News

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A lot of people are quick to point the finger at deadbeat dads in Texas.

The attorney general's child support office even puts out a 10 Most Wanted poster.

Kelly Graves had his picture posted. The only problem is he's not guilty, but for 13 years he's been trying to clear his name.

Wednesday Graves waged his fight one more time.

They go back as far as 1992. That's when Kelly Graves was divorced.

"Here's one that says thanks for helping out," says Graves

They're scrawled on any piece of paper he could find -- on grocery receipts, pharmaceutical ads, even on the back of her divorce lawyer's business card.

"I used to have one on a matchbook cover," he says.

They are signed and dated receipts, documentation of his support payments, which he took to the attorney general's office Wednesday morning.

"It's accumulated to almost $17,000 in back child support," says Graves.

It accumulated with interest and penalties along the way largely because the AG can't change the figures without both parties appearing in court.

"Every time I show up in court. She doesn't show up. And it gets dismissed," says Graves.

"The fact that it's gone on as long as it has, I apologize for that," says Michael Wise, the new regional director for the AG's child support section. He says he has heard this story before.

It will take a special investigator and some shoe leather to track her down.

"We have 180,000 cases in this region and we have three special enforcement officers," says Wise

In the back of Wise's office, were Graves' two children by his second marriage. He sees them frequently.

Yet, some people when they've seen his record have berated him.

"They'd look at this and say you're a deadbeat dad," says Graves. "Pay your bills."

Now, he hopes he'll have the proof.

Late Wednesday afternoon, the attorney general's office set a September court date for Graves, where he'll finally be given credit for the thousands of dollars he's paid. His case could be dismissed at that time.