Actor Darius McCrary was arrested earlier this month at the U.S.-Mexico border by the United States Border Patrol for an out-of-state felony warrant and is currently being held in a San Diego jail without bail.
McCrary, best known for playing Eddie Winslow on the sitcom Family Matters, has not yet been sentenced and is not eligible for release. He was arrested on Oct. 5.
His online booking information lists it as a “fugitive arrest,” according to documents obtained by People. The San Diego Court’s website shows McCrary is the defendant in an open criminal case.
The 49-year-old actor was taken into custody at the San Diego border between the United States and Mexico on an outstanding warrant for missing a court appearance in Michigan regarding missed child support, Entertainment Weekly reports.
McCrary’s first court date is set for Oct. 15.
The actor’s rep, Ann Barlow, said in a statement that “he did not know at the time that he had a warrant, or he would’ve taken care of it.”
“He was going to Tijuana, Mexico, partnering with a real estate developer that was building homes for the homeless in Tijuana. Mr. McCrary was there to speak encouragement and light to the homeless,” she continued.
“The missed court appearance that the warrant was stemming from was only because Oakland County sent the notice to appear in court to his P.O. box, giving him only three days to appear in court.”
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Barlow claimed that McCrary wasn’t checking his P.O. box as often as he usually does because he was sick.
She alleged that when McCrary opened the notice, he had already missed the date, and she claimed that the “judge was immediately notified with a doctor’s note that he had COVID.”
McCrary has faced legal struggles over the years involving his estranged wife, Tammy Brawner. In February 2019, McCrary had nearly finalized his divorce with Brawner, according to People.
In their divorce judgment, Brawner, a former player for the Harlem Globetrotters, was granted full legal and physical custody of the former couple’s daughter, Zoey.
McCrary was ordered to attend alcohol/drug abuse and batterers’ intervention classes within 12 months and was required to enrol and complete a series of parenting classes. He was also ordered to submit to two random drug tests within 60 days of the judgement.
The Young and the Restless actor was ordered to pay US$1,366 a month in child support, with a base amount of $916 plus $415 in child-care costs.
Brawner filed for divorce from McCrary in March 2017, citing irreconcilable differences.
Years ago, McCrary faced allegations of domestic violence and child abuse. In March 2018, Brawner alleged that the actor “partially dislocated our daughter’s arm.”
Brawner attached medical records that described Zoey’s injury, according to court documents.
She apparently told doctors that Zoey was taken by McCrary to the bathroom and he “grabbed her arm.”
The actor denied the accusation and claimed that he only “grabbed one hand to lift her up and immediately grabbed the other.”
Zoey was reportedly diagnosed with nursemaid’s elbow, or a “pulled elbow,” in which a child’s elbow partially dislocates.
In February 2017, Brawner was granted a restraining order against McCrary after she complained that he had been abusing both her and Zoey.
In those court documents, Brawner reflected on one particular incident in which she claims that McCrary held their daughter over a boiling pot of water and said he wished he never had her.
Brawner also claimed the actor frequently spanked their daughter and sometimes strapped her arms during meals.
She also recalled the incident that had prompted her to obtain a restraining order: She said that on Feb. 10, 2017, McCrary began throwing picture frames and other objects around the house, with some coming dangerously close to hitting their then-infant daughter. She also accused him of hitting her in the head with his forearm.
Brawner claimed that McCrary regularly drank and used drugs and became violent when he was intoxicated.
A judge ruled in favour of Brawner at the time, ordering McCrary to move out of the family home and stay a minimum of 300 feet away from her and their daughter.
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