WAVE 3 TV Louisville, KY | Man Says Deadbeat Parents List Mistakenly Includes His Address

Man Says Deadbeat Parents List Mistakenly Includes His Address

By Janelle MacDonald

(LOUISVILLE) -- The purpose of the county attorney publishing a list of names of parents more than six months behind in child support payments in the Courier-Journal was to embarrass them into paying up. One Louisville couple says they're embarrassed all right, but they're not the ones who should be. WAVE 3's Janelle MacDonald explains.

For seven decades, James R. Frazier has worked hard, always striving to do what is right and trying to keep his good name.

"A good name means a whole bunch to me," he said, "because my dad said to me when I was small, don't do anything to mess up his good name, to shame him, and that's stuck to me since I was a little kid."

Now James and his wife, Bertha, feel like that good name is being dragged through the mud because of the list of deadbeat parents that appeared in Sunday's newspaper.

Bertha says they found out from other people before having a chance to see it themselves. "Sunday we came in from church and my husband's name appeared in Courier-Journal.

Among the list of 1,000 names of deadbeat parents published Sunday was that of James H. Frazier, who owes $57,000.

Even though the middle initial is different, the paper lists James R. Frazier's address at 4212 Grand Avenue.

"I was amazed when I saw it. They came telling me in church."

The Fraziers say this is not the first time they've tried to make officials aware of the mix up.

In fact, for years, they've been fighting to get the address straightened out, even contacting the Kentucky Cabinet of Health and Family Services. Bertha says that agency acknowledged that the address was incorrect, but that didn't stop Frazier's address from appearing in the paper.

Officials working in the Child Support Division at Jefferson County Attorney Irv Maze's office say they've been really busy since the list was published.

They were so busy that no one had time to talk with the Fraziers when they visited the office in person to discuss the problem.

However, Bill Patteson with the county attorney's office, says as far as they're concerned, doesn't look like there is a problem.

When asked about the fact that in this case, it appears the address was wrong,  Patteson said, "I can't say that conclusively. I can say that it looks like there may have been a coincidence."

Patteson says the county attorney's office believes James H. Frazier may have once lived at the Grand Avenue address where James and Bertha Frazier now reside.

But the Fraziers have lived in their house for years and years and years. They say they don't know Robert H. Frazier and he never lived at this address. Patteson said, "I do not know how we came about getting the address information."

And he stops short of an apology for listing the Grand Avenue address in the paper. "We regret that they are distressed by it, but we believe that there is a greater good being done here by attempting to collect child support."

"I didn't feel that it was fair and I really don't," Bertha said. "I'm sorry because he's worked hard. He has no outside children."

Bill Patteson says his office recently learned that James H. Frazier has applied for a driver's license in Maryland, and they are trying to track him down there. And he says they will go back and make sure James and Bertha's address no longer appears in their records.

Online Reporter: Janelle MacDonald

Online Producer: Michael Dever