You Are NOT the Father

Imagine the mail man asking you to sign for a letter addressed to your cousin. You like many others would sign without second guessing your actions. Well this is where all hell broke loose on poor Walter Sharpe.

You see Walter signed for a certified letter addressed to Andre Sharpe. The letter ordered Andre Sharpe to attend a child support conference in Dauphin County, where Andre’s baby mother lived at the time. Shortly after signing for the letter for his cousin, several letters began showing up in Walters mail box ordering him to come to child support court for Andre’s daughter. Walter believed it was a mistake and ignored all the letters sent to him by the courts.

When Andre nor Walter showed to the child support hearing the judge ruled Walter as the father of Andre’s child. Although Walter was paying child support for his own four children: the county family welfare agency began garnishing wages from his job to support Andre’s daughter. Walter paid 12,000 towards the care of his cousin’s child between 2002-2005

To make matters worse Walter served four six-month jail terms for not keeping up with support payments and lost his job. Petitions he filed for DNA testing were opposed by the court’s domestic relations officials and denied by the judge.

In May 2007, the paternity order against Walter Sharpe was overturned after the girl’s mother and grandmother failed to show up to a court hearing. But the judge ruled in October that Walter Sharpe was not entitled to compensation. The judge claimed that Walter brought this whole tragedy on himself when he ignored the letters urging him to come to court.

And to add further salt to the wound, Andre had been taking care of the child financially from birth. Andre obtained legal custody of the child in late 2006. The baby mama took advantage of the system… she knew full well that Walter was not the child ‘s father. I’m not sure of the mother circumstances but I hope she is looking forward to the big ole kick in the ass from karma. But this crap does not lay solely on the shoulders of baby mama…where the hell was Andre when his cousin was going through this drama? Why didn’t he show up to court with his cousin and claim the child? Then there is the system… they are quick to pull people in and slow on rectifying the problem.

I truly hope this guy gets compensated and if possible the baby mama prosecuted and the judge kicked off the bench for incompetency. Yeah I know I am dreaming but that’s what they deserve.