Four township men – including one who owed more than $16,000 – were caught up in the latest deadbeat parent sweep conducted by the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office.

The sweep, held from May 7 to 9, resulted in the arrests of 37 deadbeat parents who owed a collective $1.3 million, according to a press release from the Sheriff’s Office.

The four township men owed a total of more than $37,000, according to the release.

The men who were arrested and what they owed were:

• Tillman Wright, 56, $16,730.70
• Michael Phillips, 38, $8,709.79
• Richard A. Williams, 49, $7,030. Williams paid $500.
• Jamarr D. White, 35, $4,720.60. White paid $75.

Wright was arrested on a Middlesex County child support warrant that had been sent to Somerset County for enforcement, according to the release.

“This operation was conducted to remind parents of the importance of making regular child support payments and hopefully renew their commitment to doing the right thing,” Sheriff Frank Provenzano said in the release. “Child support is a safety net for many Somerset County families. Children depend on child support for their basic needs such as food, shelter, health care and back-to-school clothing. Conducting these roundups gives us the ability to better serve children and families with the financial support they need and deserve.

“The roundup was a great success as far as the statistics show,” he said. “What we don’t see is how many delinquent parents pay up once they know we are looking for them. Knowing that they face possible arrest encourages delinquent parents to uphold their obligations or face incarceration. It creates a compounding effect of payments that lasts weeks after the roundup.