Owasso Mother's Bank Account Frozen After Boyfriend Fails To Pay Child Support

Lacie Lowry, News On 6

UNDATED -- An Owasso woman claims the Department of Human Services took money out of her account to settle someone else's child support.

She says she's struggling to support her own children while she waits to get her money back.

DHS placed a child support levy on Melony Davis's account for more than $1,300. It turns out it was because her boyfriend owes child support.

Melony Davis's kids are her life. Lately, she's struggling to even meet their needs.

"I checked my bank account and it was negative $906 and I was like, what's going on," she said.

Davis's troubles started October 29, 2010. That's when the Department of Human Services put a child support levy on her account for $1,370 because her boyfriend owed child support.

"I can't pay my bills, I can't get diapers for my two kids, it's just left me where I can't do anything," Davis said.

A child support levy is one of DHS's enforcement policies when parents don't pay up. Davis says the bank account is hers alone and not a joint account. But because the boyfriend and his social security number were listed on her account as her death beneficiary, Davis's money was frozen.

"I was very irritated, very livid. I don't mind helping pay child support, but going behind my back without any notification whatsoever and debiting my account made me pissed," she said.

Davis says the DHS notification came five days after the levy. If she can prove the money in her account is all hers and not her boyfriend's, DHS says they'll take the levy off her account and she can use her money again.

While they try to sort things out, Davis is staying home, eating the food she already has in the house and trying to keep her kids entertained.

"I'm pretty much just sitting around, waiting on an answer. That's all I can do," she said.

DHS has 200,000 child support cases and several policies to get people to pay up.

One manager said this is a learning lesson to anyone involved with a person who owes child support. Joint bank accounts can be frozen if payments fall behind