Tribune staff reports

A man owing nearly $75,000 in child support recently received an eight-year prison term in Jackson Circuit Court.

But Larry W. Rollins, 45, of Brownstown, likely won’t spend any more time in jail than the 232 days he has already spent locked up.

That’s because Jackson Circuit Judge Richard W. Poynter suspended four years of his prison term and ordered Rollins to spend the remaining four years on home detention.

He will be required to pay the costs of that program, which is operated by Jackson County Comm-unity Corrections.

The sentence stems from Rollins’ arrest on a warrant issued March 7, 2014, through Jackson Circuit Court.

At that time, it was determined Rollins had not paid any child support for his two children from Aug. 13, 2002, to Feb. 28, 2014, and the amount he owed was $74,919.49, according to the probable cause affidavit.

The order establishing Rollins’ child support payments was entered in Jackson Circuit Court on April 29, 2002. It required him to pay $152 per week.

The newest court order signed by Poynter gives Rollins 232 days credit and 232 days credit time.

Poynter ordered Rollins to pay $152 a week toward his current child support obligation and to pay $50 a week toward the total amount owed in back support.

Rollins will be required to spend the four suspended years of his sentence on probation, but if he pays the full amount of his back child support, the probation part of the sentence will be terminated.

As part of the plea agreement, the state agreed to drop a second pending charge against Rollins of neglect of a dependent.

Don Frey, the county’s deputy prosecutor in charge of child support, said Rollins’ case is one of the larger ones his office has seen over the years.

“We don’t get too many like this,” he said.

Allowing Rollins to serve his sentence on home detention will give him the opportunity to work and pay his current and back child support, Frey added.