When Nick Olivas was in high school, he fathered a child at the age of 14 with a woman who was 20-years-old. He didn’t find out that he was a dad until years later, when he was served papers demanding that he pay child support.
Nick is from Arizona and state law declares that any child under the age of 15 cannot consent with an adult under any circumstance – making him a victim of rape. Olivas says the older woman was taking advantage of a time in his life when he was vulnerable and going through a rough patch at home. He didn’t press charges and says now that he wasn’t even aware it was an option when it happened.
A couple of years ago Olivas was served papers demanding payment for support and this was how he found out he had a daughter.
He told The Arizona Republic:
“It was a shock. I was living my life and enjoying being young. To find out you have a 6-year-old? It’s unexplainable. It freaked me out.”
Olivas claims that he panicked and never got the required paternity test.
Nick, who has since attended college and become a medical assistant, says that he owes approximately $15,000 in back child support plus 10% interest. He is willing to make support payments moving forward but doesn’t believe he should owe for the years that he didn’t even know he was a dad. “Anything I do as an adult, I should be responsible for. But as a teenager? I don’t think so,” he said.
With his wages being garnished, Olivas is trying to fight some of those child-support costs but he says he can’t afford a lawyer. Nick is also trying to see his daughter. “I lost my mom at a young age. I know what it’s like to only have one parent. I can’t leave her out there. She deserves a dad,” he said.
