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Case Intel

• The beloved ‘90s sitcom actor was arrested near the U.S.-Mexico border on a felony warrant out of Michigan.
• McCrary’s team says he was unaware of the warrant and was helping build housing for the homeless in Tijuana.
• He remains jailed in San Diego without bail pending a Wednesday hearing that could trigger extradition.

By Samuel A. Lopez | USA Herald

SAN DIEGO, CA - Actor Darius McCrary—best known as Eddie Winslow from Family Matters—was taken into custody Sunday by U.S. Border Patrol agents near the Mexico border on a fugitive arrest warrant issued in Michigan. According to court booking records obtained by USA Herald, McCrary was booked at 7:17 p.m. in San Diego and remains held without bail as he awaits his first appearance in Superior Court on Wednesday.

The arrest reportedly stems from McCrary’s failure to appear in a Michigan family court proceeding over unpaid child support—an issue that has dogged the 49-year-old actor for nearly a decade. His representative, Ann Barlow, said that the warrant was tied to a recent missed hearing and that McCrary’s absence was unintentional.

In public statements, McCrary’s team said the actor was unaware of the outstanding warrant when he was detained. They allege that Michigan’s Oakland County Court mailed a notice to a P.O. box, giving him only three days to appear. McCrary reportedly contracted COVID-19 at the time and did not check his mail until after the scheduled date.

“Darius was doing a good deed when he discovered he had a felony warrant at the Border of Mexico,” the statement read. “He immediately notified the Judge with a doctor’s note confirming his diagnosis of COVID.”

McCrary’s child-support and custody troubles trace back to his 2019 divorce from former Harlem Globetrotter Tammy Brawner. The California court granted Brawner full custody of their daughter, Zoey, and ordered McCrary to pay child support and complete substance abuse and batterers’ intervention programs.

Since then, McCrary has faced repeated arrests for nonpayment. In 2015, Michigan authorities detained him for back payments exceeding $5,000. In November 2023, he was again arrested—this time owing more than $52,000—before being released on a $13,197 bond with GPS monitoring.

Court filings also reveal that McCrary was accused in 2018 of injuring his daughter’s arm. Though he denied wrongdoing, doctors diagnosed the child with a nursemaid’s elbow, a partial dislocation often resulting from sudden pulling. The allegations never resulted in criminal charges, but they have continued to shadow his public image and legal battles.