You have to say this much for Desmond
Hatchett: He has a way with the ladies.
The 33-year-old Knoxville, Tenn., resident has
reportedly set a Knox County record for his
ability to reproduce. He has 30 children with
11 women. And nine of those children were
born in the last three years, after Hatchett —
who is something of a local celebrity — vowed
“I’m done!” in a 2009 TV interview, saying he
wouldn’t father more children.
But Hatchett is back in the news this week
because he’s struggling to make ends meet on
his minimum-wage job. His inability to make
child-support payments on such a meager
salary also means he’s back in court again
and again, most recently to ask for a break on
those payments.
“Yes, we’ve got several cases with Mr.
Hatchett,” Melissa Gibson, an assistant
supervisor with the Knox County child support
clerk’s office, said with a sigh.
Hatchett’s attorney, Keith Pope, did not return
phone calls seeking comment.
Under the law, there’s nothing officials can do
to force Hatchett to keep his pants on.
“If there’s something out there like that, I’m
unaware of it,” Gibson told The Times, before
adding, “It definitely needs to be.”
Gibson said Hatchett is believed to hold the
Knox County record for most children. (He’d
hold a similar record in most counties in the
U.S., which might explain why news of his
predicament was pinging around the Internet
on Friday.)
Gibson said she couldn’t say whether any of
his children receive public assistance. The
youngest is a toddler; the oldest is 14. Asked
in a TV interview whether he can “keep up with
it all,” Hatchett said he knows all their names,
ages and birth dates.
Also in a TV interview, Hatchett tried to
explain — in a PG-rated way how he managed
to end up with so many kids: “I had four kids
in the same year. Twice.”
When Hatchett is working, he is required to
turn over 50% of his wages for child support —
the maximum allowed under law. Child
support payments are based in part on the
ages and needs of the children.
Some of the mothers of Hatchett’s children get
only $1.49 a month, reported WREG in
Memphis.
