Just don't let Tracy Rumans get wind of THIS one

http://www.in-forum.com/articles/rss...2930a74c741c24


She'd probably argue that it's in the child's best interest to get
payments from two men.
Also, check out the quote at the end. It's probably one of the wisest
things I've heard in a long, long, time, even if it's a bit on the naive
side.

All I get is a box asking for a password. Try posting the article.

"John Meyer" wrote in message
...
http://www.in-forum.com/articles/rss...2930a74c741c24


She'd probably argue that it's in the child's best interest to get
payments from two men.
Also, check out the quote at the end. It's probably one of the wisest
things I've heard in a long, long, time, even if it's a bit on the naive
side.


--
The Source For Premium Newsgroup Access
Great Speed, Great Retention
1 GB/Day for only $8.95

Samsung wrote:
All I get is a box asking for a password. Try posting the article.

This is a tale of two men named Edward Jackson.

Both have North Dakota ties to Rolette County.

Both are nearly the same age and live near Chicago.

But one man had his life turned upside down after an error by the North
Dakota Lake Region Child Support Enforcement Unit in Devils Lake sent
him scrambling to prove child support payments are the responsibility of
another man by the same name.

Edward Jackson of Chicago, who previously lived in Rolette, N.D., has
spent the past week wrangling with North Dakota officials over the
paternity of a child the state wrongly tagged as his.

Jackson’s employer informed him they’d received a request from the Lake
Region Child Support Unit inquiring about his pay and benefits.

His supervisor questioned him about the child support payments he wasn’t
making for a baby several states away. The 31-year-old was floored by
the news.

Especially since he and his wife of several years don’t have children
and he’s never been unfaithful.

“It’s a little bit of a shock and more than a tad bit embarrassing when
your boss tells you that you have a kid and you’re not paying for it,�
Jackson said.

Jackson and the human resources director at the Chicago billing company
where he works contacted the North Dakota child support agency to find
out more information.

Jackson learned the identity of the 20-year-old woman who recorded him
as the father of her 1½-year-old baby.

Through some investigating on MySpace, the popular social networking Web
site, Jackson tracked down the woman and viewed pictures of his “child.�

Correspondence between the two revealed the young mother was equally
baffled that the state pegged Jackson as the child’s father.

“She said the state made a mistake and said there was nothing she could
do,� Jackson said.

Jackson called daily to the Devils Lake office to try to clear his name.
At one point a case worker told him he’d need to pay for a paternity
test. That test would cost approximately $371, Jackson said.

Finally this week the child support unit said it mistakenly contacted
the wrong Edward Jackson.

Coby Barstad, administrator of the Devil’s Lake Child Support
Enforcement Unit, said the case of mistaken identity is the second or
third he’s seen in 23 years with the agency.

Such occurrences are rare, and the attempts to contact Jackson were an
effort to help a young mother, Barstad said.

“I feel bad for him that it happened. There were a lot of circumstances
that led us to believe that he was the correct person, but he wasn’t,�
Barstad said.

Case workers have since been tracking the other Edward Jackson, who
lives near Chicago, is almost the same age and shares the same middle
initial as the other Edward Jackson.

Jackson said the ordeal caused stress at work, where he felt violated by
an insinuation that he’s a deadbeat dad. He said his wife is a good
sport about the fiasco, joking Jackson and the baby are indeed related
because both are bald.

Jackson said he wants the child support agency to be more careful so
others don’t have to go through the red tape he did to clear his name.

“Even government agencies should be responsible when they have such
relatively unregulated power over our individual lives and more
importantly, our dearest relationships,� Jackson said.

Readers can reach Forum reporter

Melinda Rogers at (701) 241-5524