BY JANE PRENDERGAST
The Cincinnati Enquirer
COVINGTON -- Former Bengal Eric Thomas has five weeks to come up with more than $5,000 to avoid five years in prison.
Mr. Thomas is under the gun again regarding allegations he stopped paying $1,000 a month in child support, money he was ordered to pay in 1995.
He paid for a while, prosecutor Rita Ferguson said, but stopped after his wages were no longer garnished by an NFL team.
After taking more than $9,000 from Mr. Thomas' tax return and his payments of almost $18,000, the arrearage has been reduced in recent weeks to about $5,600. If he comes up with that money and Ms. Ferguson gets a guarantee that future payments can be garnished from a paycheck, she said she would drop her request to have his probation revoked.
The former cornerback pleaded guilty to flagrant non-support in 1995 and was sentenced to five years in prison. That time was put on hold with a variety of conditions, including that he serve 10 days in jail and pay the money.
The prison sentence was put on hold for five years, meaning the five-year sentence could still be a possibility if Mr. Thomas does not come up with the money by his next court hearing July 16.
The child support goes to his 12-year-old daughter, who lives in New Orleans.
Mr. Thomas, a 1987 draft pick from Tulane, played for the Bengals and the New York Jets. He now works for a radio station, Ms. Ferguson said, and is in broadcasting school.
He can ask for a reduction in the monthly amount because his wages have lessened since he played football, she said, but he has not done that.
