Internet Organ Donor Jailed for Child Support
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CLEVELAND, Tenn. — A man who donated a kidney to someone he met over the Internet was jailed Thursday for failing to pay child support.
Rob Smitty, 32, surrendered to deputies, accompanied by his lawyer, who warned that Smitty was still taking medication following the Oct. 20 surgery.
After the operation, news surfaced that Smitty was being sought on a civil warrant for failing to pay child support.
Lawyer Bill Speek said Smitty would remain in jail until bail was set or he paid a portion of the $8,100 he owed his former wife.
Smitty’s arrest came eight days after he gave a kidney to Bob Hickey, a Colorado man who had been waiting for a transplant since 1999.
The two men met through MatchingDonors.com, a website created to match organ donors and recipients for a fee.
The operation was believed to be the first organ transplant arranged through a commercial website.
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