The 49-year-old actor was taken into custody by U.S. Border Patrol agents on Sunday, October 5, 2025, on an out-of-state felony warrant from Michigan tied to a missed court appearance in a child support case. According to online jail records, McCrary was booked on a fugitive arrest charge and remains in custody pending a San Diego Superior Court hearing scheduled for Wednesday, October 15.
The warrant reportedly stems from a missed Michigan court date related to ongoing child support obligations from his 2019 divorce from actress and former Harlem Globetrotter Tammy Brawner. McCrary was ordered to pay $1,366 per month in support, including childcare costs, as part of the judgment.
A representative for the actor told multiple outlets, that McCrary was unaware of the warrant and learned of it only when he was detained near the border. The rep said the notice to appear was sent to McCrary’s P.O. Box while he was sick with COVID, and that he had been traveling to Tijuana to partner with a real estate developer building homes for the homeless when agents discovered the outstanding warrant.
McCrary’s arrest marks the third time he has been detained over unpaid child support since 2015. In previous cases, he was taken into custody in Michigan in both 2015 and 2023 for allegedly falling behind on payments. Court filings from those incidents showed arrears exceeding $50,000, though he was released after partial repayment and bond posting. Brawner, who was granted full legal and physical custody of their daughter, Zoey, has previously accused McCrary of endangering the child, prompting court-ordered monitored visitation and parenting, substance abuse, and batterer intervention classes.
A longtime presence in television and film, McCrary gained fame as the eldest Winslow sibling on Family Matters, which aired on ABC and CBS from 1989 to 1998 and remains one of the era’s most recognizable sitcoms. His extensive acting résumé also includes roles on The Young and the Restless, The Leftovers, and Anger Management, as well as film appearances in Mississippi Burning (1988), Transformers (2007), and Saw VI (2009). He most recently appeared in the True to the Game film series and the 2020 holiday film Christmas in Carolina, reuniting with his former co-star Kellie Shanygne Williams.
McCrary’s case is listed as open on the San Diego County Superior Court docket. As of Saturday, he remained jailed without bail and has not entered a plea. Further details are expected following his October 15 court appearance.
A representative for the actor told multiple outlets, that McCrary was unaware of the warrant and learned of it only when he was detained near the border. The rep said the notice to appear was sent to McCrary’s P.O. Box while he was sick with COVID, and that he had been traveling to Tijuana to partner with a real estate developer building homes for the homeless when agents discovered the outstanding warrant.
McCrary’s arrest marks the third time he has been detained over unpaid child support since 2015. In previous cases, he was taken into custody in Michigan in both 2015 and 2023 for allegedly falling behind on payments. Court filings from those incidents showed arrears exceeding $50,000, though he was released after partial repayment and bond posting. Brawner, who was granted full legal and physical custody of their daughter, Zoey, has previously accused McCrary of endangering the child, prompting court-ordered monitored visitation and parenting, substance abuse, and batterer intervention classes.
A longtime presence in television and film, McCrary gained fame as the eldest Winslow sibling on Family Matters, which aired on ABC and CBS from 1989 to 1998 and remains one of the era’s most recognizable sitcoms. His extensive acting résumé also includes roles on The Young and the Restless, The Leftovers, and Anger Management, as well as film appearances in Mississippi Burning (1988), Transformers (2007), and Saw VI (2009). He most recently appeared in the True to the Game film series and the 2020 holiday film Christmas in Carolina, reuniting with his former co-star Kellie Shanygne Williams.
McCrary’s case is listed as open on the San Diego County Superior Court docket. As of Saturday, he remained jailed without bail and has not entered a plea. Further details are expected following his October 15 court appearance.
Originally published on October 11, 2025.
