Back of Wright’s attack mailer against Thorpe. Courtesy of Wright’s campaign for mayor.
Thorpe says he does pay his child support; reveals second child, a son; calls attack “sickening and disgusting”
County Child Services confirms he’s current with his child support payments, had it reduced in 2016.
By Allen Payton
In a mailer received by voters paid for and sent out by Mayor Sean Wright’s re-election campaign beginning on Saturday, it claims his opponent and fellow Councilmember Lamar Thorpe has failed to pay child support, among other attacks, including an old one about a sexual-related incident between Thorpe and his then, girlfriend in college, which the Herald reported on in 2014 and 2016.
However, as was written in the latter article, “it is clear what he was accused of never happened. He was still punished for it, in an on-campus disciplinary process. While it took him a year, Thorpe won his appeal, and his record was expunged.”
Front of Wright’s attack mailer against Thorpe. Courtesy of Wright’s campaign for mayor.
On one side of the mailer it shows photos of a variety of women with the message “We are daughters, mothers and grandmothers…Let us tell you why we cannot support Lamar Thorpe for Mayor.”
On the other side, along with other accusations the mailer reads, “Lamar Thorpe doesn’t pay his child support,” and references in small type at the bottom two cases in Contra Costa Superior Court, one in 2015 and another in 2016.
The details in the mailer referencing the two court cases for Thorpe’s child support.
Thorpe Responds
When reached for comment Thorpe said, “It’s a lie. The first court case was to establish child support. The second was to reduce the amount of child support that I paid, because I overpaid.”
Asked if it was for his daughter who he is seen with regularly in photos and videos on Facebook and in public, Thorpe responded, “No, it’s for my son. But I’m not going beyond that because it’s nobody’s business. It has nothing to do with being on the council and nothing to do with being mayor.”
“When I learned I had a son, I started paying child support,” he stated. That was six years ago, in 2014.
“But, to call me a deadbeat dad is ridiculous,” he continued. “I provide for my son and I provide for my daughter,” adding that he’s “sending her to private school.”
“The irony is, recently the state sent me back about $3,000 because I had overpaid,” Thorpe shared.
“It’s sickening and disgusting,” he continued and claims it has a tinge of racism included.
“Every stereotype of a black man that you can find is in that mailer,” Thorpe stated. “Deadbeat dad, sexual predator and a lazy Black man,” referring to a photo of him relaxing that was posted on his Facebook page.
Asked if he’s all current with his child support Thorpe responded, “it comes out automatically. It’s taken out of both my city stipend and my employment check. I knew I was overpaying. But that’s fine. That’s why the state refunded me, recently.”
Thorpe Child Support Judgement 2015. Redactions and document provided by Lamar Thorpe.
Both Thorpe and Wright Asked to Provide Documents to Support Their Claims
Both Thorpe and Wright were asked if they had copies of the documents from the two court cases regarding the child support issue to support their claims. The Wright campaign provided a background report on Thorpe from Peoplefinders.com showing the two judgments against him. Pages from Background Check Report for Lamar A Thorpe _ Peoplefinders.com
In addition, Wright’s campaign responded via mail regarding Thorpe’s claims about the two court cases with, “this is absolutely not true. When you get the full documentation from Mr. Thorpe, you will see what these judgments really are. Attached is the background report on Mr. Thorpe in its entirety. As you can see, they are ‘judgments’ listed as such with a gavel by the word ‘judgment’. In addition, you will also see that Mr. Thorpe doesn’t pay his taxes.
We looked extensively before going out with this information … and at this location, you will find https://www.contracosta.ca.gov/1375/Services that the Dept of Child Support Services does the following:
Services
Case workers and attorneys in our office:
- Establish court orders for paternity, child support, and medical coverage;
- Locate the noncustodial parent and his/her assets to enforce the court order;
- Collect and distribute support payments;
- Maintain accounts of payments paid and due;
- Modify court orders when appropriate; and
- Determine and take appropriate actions to enforce court orders for child, family, spousal, and medical support.
Services not provided by Contra Costa County Department of Child Support Services (DCSS)
- We do not legally represent either the custodial or noncustodial party’s interests. Our attorneys are not your attorneys.
- We cannot assist with visitation or custody issues.
- We cannot obtain divorce decrees nor represent either party in a divorce action.
- We cannot establish or modify spousal support orders.
- We cannot obtain or enforce restraining orders, except those orders which include child support.
To further clarify, per our research, an ‘AX – Abstract of Support Judgment’ is in essence a ‘lien’ on a noncustodial parent and his or her property for nonpayment of child support. Here’s what we have in our files about that:
Here’s a pamphlet from the San Diego Dept of Child Support Services for your review: https://famguardian.org/subjects/FamilyLaw/Divorce/SupportLiens.pdf this best explains what an Abstract of Support Judgment is. IT IS NOT AN ACTION TAKEN BY A NONCUSTODIAL PARENT TO MODIFY CHILD SUPPORT PAYMENTS. What Mr. Thorpe is telling you is a bold-faced lie.
Furthermore, this is the form that must be completed to process an ‘Abstract of Support Judgment’ lien on the property of a noncustodial parent https://www.courts.ca.gov/documents/fl480.pdf
AS YOU CAN SEE, THIS IS NOT A NONCUSTODIAL PARENT OPENING UP A LIEN AGAINST HIMSELF OR HIS OWN PROPERTY FOR PAYMENT OF CHILD SUPPORT. It is someone else (likely the custodial parent) filing to place a lien for payment on Mr. Thorpe and the property he owns … to hold him accountable to making his child support payments.”
County Child Support Services Confirms Thorpe’s Claims About the Court Documents and That He is Current on Payments
However, regarding the two court cases and liens on Thorpe’s property, Danielle Torres of Contra Costa County Child Support Services said, “He is current with his balance. He is current with his child support.”
“Those are just standard liens, because he has a case opened for child support,” she continued. “We place those liens as soon as we open a case against someone, in the event they happen to accrue a balance, and if they sell or refinance their property, we are able to collect.”
“But in his case, if he has to sell or refinance his property, we won’t collect anything, because he’s current,” Torres stated.
In fact, he has a partial future payment balance of over $100.
“The second case was an amendment in which the judge ordered a reduction in his child support payments,” she explained. “The lien will remain until his son is age 18 which is standard practice.”
Thorpe Child Support Withholding Order 05-01-2015. Redactions and document provided by Lamar Thorpe.
Thorpe Provides Documents Proving First Court Case was to Establish Child Support
Thorpe sent the Herald both pages of the judge’s order from the first court case in 2015, showing it established that he had to make child support payments beginning December 2014 and the Withholding Order, dated May 1, 2015. The case took place in Merced County. Asked why, Thorpe responded, “That’s where I lived when I first moved to California. I lived with my cousin in Delhi. So, my son’s mother found me via my cousin who I stayed with as we transitioned to Antioch.” Thorpe Child Support Judgement 2015 Thorpe Child Support Withholding Order 05-01-2015
Asked about the “past-due child support – Arrears greater than 12 weeks?” listed in the Withholding Order, Thorpe explained, “It’s not based on the fact I didn’t pay. Judgments are back dated to when the original claim was made.”
While Thorpe was unable to find the documents from the 2018 court case, but the Child Services representative confirmed his claim that it was for reducing the amount of child support he had to pay.
Another Accusation by Wright Campaign
The Wright campaign then accused Thorpe of calling some of the ladies whose photos appear on the mailer and yelling at them.
When asked if that happened, Thorpe said, “I called Lori Garrow, and I was very respectful, and told her she and her husband had contributed to my campaign. I gave her my condolences for Ralph’s passing, recently. But I wanted her to hear it from me, as a man, that it was disgusting and inappropriate. She was feeling very uncomfortable. There was no need for me to yell at her.”
An effort to reach Garrow for comment was unsuccessful prior to publication time. Please check back later for any updates to this report.
Wright Campaign Runs Ads With False Accusation
Screenshot of Wright’s Facebook ad attacking Thorpe. Provided by Lamar Thorpe.
Wright’s campaign is running an ad on social media from the NoLamarThorpe.com website, which shows at the bottom it’s “Paid for by Leadership for Antioch – Sean Wright For Mayor 2020 – ID# 1384338”, which includes the false claim, “Lamar Thorpe doesn’t pay his child support.” The ad also reads “and has numerous judgments against him. Now he wants to be your Mayor. See Dept of Child Services file numbers here.” The ad links to the NoLamarThorpe.com website.
7:30 PM UPDATE: The Wright campaign informed the Herald Wednesday night that they had pulled the ad as of this morning. Asked when the ad started, neither Wright nor the campaign responded.
“At the end of the day the mayor has nothing to show for the last four years,” he stated. “There are serious concerns around homelessness, police reform and the jobs and housing imbalance, and increasing funding for youth programs, once we get out of COVID.”
“He (Wright) can do whatever he wants and I’m going to continue talking to voters the right way,” Thorpe concluded.
The election is three weeks from today. Wright and Thorpe who are both completing their first terms on the council face three other candidates in the race for mayor. For the list of all candidates running for office in Antioch visit our Election 2020 page on this website.
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