Family Matters actor Darius McCrary is to face sentencing over a complicated child support case on February 9, 2026. A case that’s been hanging over the celebrity’s head for a long time.
The story is painfully familiar. A missed court appearance, a felony warrant from Michigan, and a dispute that’s about support and parenting. Specifically, who was carrying the load when the cameras were gone.
This story escalated in October 2025, when McCrary was arrested. He was later released in December, after reaching a deal tied to unpaid support.
According to People Magazine, the Family Matters actor entered a no-contest plea to five felony charges. He walked free from the Oakland County Jail that day.
That same report notes he’d been extradited back to Michigan from California on October 29, after weeks in custody in San Diego.
In a statement at the time, Paulette Loftin, McCrary’s public defender said to TMZ: “Over the last four years, Mr. McCrary’s fight for justice and truth has been painted as an attempt to shirk his responsibilities to his child.”
The border arrest
The arrest on October 5, 2025, ended with McCrary in handcuffs on the U.S.-Mexico border. He was detained by Border Patrol and booked on what was described as a fugitive arrest tied to that Michigan warrant.
People reported prosecutors argued he was a flight risk, and a judge agreed, keeping him held without bail while extradition played out.
A separate report from UPI described the arrest as a fugitive situation in San Diego, adding to the sense that this wasn’t a misunderstanding despite McCrary’s team pushing back.
His team said McCrary wasn’t running and that the border crossing happened during volunteer work connected to a housing charity. However, once a court says you’ve missed a date, that’s final.
Divorce and child support
The issues began back in 2017 when his then wife Tammy Brawner filed for divorce. In 2019, McCrary was ordered to pay $1,366 per month in child support to his ex-wife, who was granted full legal and physical custody of their daughter. At the time, the court also put conditions around visitation.
Complex highlighted further information in the court records, which included the next major milestone is February 9, 2026, when McCrary is scheduled to be sentenced.
Complex also reported prosecutors previously claimed he owed more than $75,000 in unpaid support, while his representatives have argued notice and address problems helped trigger the missed court situation in the first place.
February 9 is now the date that matters, at least legally, and TMZ reported his rep said he plans to keep fighting to clear his name even after taking the no-contest plea.
Here’s the timeline:
- Border arrest on October 5, 2025, tied to a missed court date and child support warrant
- Extradition back to Michigan on October 29, 2025
- Release on December 8, 2025 after the no-contest plea
- Final hearing on February 9, 2026.
I’m still surprised by stories like this. Not because celebrities are above these financial responsibilities, they aren’t, but because the real weight of this story sits on the family side, who allegedly missed out on the payments.