CLOVIS, N.M. (AP) A Clovis man is facing possible prison time for ignoring an order to pay child support. District Attorney Matthew Chandler says jurors deliberated for less than 20 minutes Tuesday before finding 41-year-old Joseph Sandoval guilty of abandonment of a dependent. Chandler says Sandoval faces up to 5 .5 years in prison. He will be sentenced at a later date.
Sandoval was ordered by the state Human Services Department to pay child support in June 2011. A year later, the department found that he had the means to provide support for his dependents and had willingly disregarded the order.
Prosecutors say Sandoval owes more than $17,000 in back child support for two children.
