Darius McCray found himself in a legal battle following his arrest at the border earlier this month. We provide an update on all the details, including the accusations against Darius McCray, following the ‘Family Matters’ star’s arrest, his first court appearance, and his missed court date for unpaid child support in his ongoing court case.
Darius McCrary is best known for his role as Eddie Winslow in the ’90s sitcom Family Matters. On October 13, 2025, the star was arrested at the U.S.-Mexico border in San Diego on a warrant out of Michigan. After the details of Darius McCray’s charges became public, fans were shocked to find out it was his third arrest for the same charge.
More details from the McCrary arrest update revealed that the U.S. Border Patrol arrested him on a fugitive warrant. Darius was pulled over at the Border of Mexico because he had a felony warrant there for missing a court date. According to reports, McCrary, through his representative, showed that the arrest is related to McCrary unpaid child support to his ex-wife, Tammy Brawner.
Tammy Brawner and Darius McCrary were married for 3 years, between 2014 and 2017. Unfortunately, the union ended in a 2-year-long stormy divorce with claims of domestic abuse from both parties and a restraining order filed by Brawner. Their divorce was finalized in 2019, with McCray granted minor visits and Brawner granted full custody of their daughter, Zoey.
However, McCrary and Brawner’s child support agreement payment seems to be a struggle for the actor, according to some reports. McCrary is supposed to pay a total of $1,366 per month in child support, with a breakdown of $916 as a base amount, plus $415 in childcare costs. Bear in mind that McCrary also had a child support case in 2015 and 2023 where he was also detained.
His legal representation claimed that he was unable to attend and missed the court date because he was sick with an illness. According to her statement, “The missed court appearance was for an ongoing child support dispute, whereas Oakland County mailed the notice to appear to Darius McCray PO BOX giving him only 3 days to appear in Michigan Court.”
“Unfortunately, Darius had COVID therefore did not check his PO Box until the day after his court date. However, he immediately notified the judge with a doctor’s note diagnosis of COVID,” his representative continued.
McCrary had his first court appearance on Wednesday, Oct 15, for his ongoing unpaid child support case. After an incident in court where the actor was acting unlike his usual self, the judge assigned a public lawyer to represent McCrary in his case. The judge remarked that the actor “is unable to understand and appreciate that legalities of these proceedings.”
McCrary has been detained in the San Diego prison ever since his arrest; nevertheless, he has not been granted bail. As a result of his agreement to be extradited to Michigan, the authorities in that state now have thirty days to move him from the San Diego prison.
The explanation for the transfer was revealed by McCrary’s representative, Ann Barlow, who also stated, “We are gearing up for the fight with Oakland County as they have repeatedly violated Mr. McCrary’s due process and rights.” In the 2023 case, he was also transported from Los Angeles to the state of Michigan. The actor is scheduled to make another appearance before the San Diego court on Nov 14, provided that he is not extradited to the state of Michigan.
In Michigan, failing to pay child support can result in fines of up to $2000 and four years in jail. The amount of child support the actor owes is yet unknown. However, the only child support nonpayment that qualifies as a crime is up to $5,000. McCrary might be imprisoned for up to four years as a result.
Despite Eddie Winslow on “Family Matters” being a significant role in his acting career, he has appeared in other roles in “Mississippi Burning” and “Don King: Only In America”.
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IMAGE CREDITS: Shareif Ziyadat/Getty Images
