Darius McCrary has been released from jail after he was arrested two months ago for failing to provide child support.
The “Family Matters” actor was arrested at the U.S.-Mexico border in early October and was first held at a San Diego jail and denied bail, eventually being extradited to Michigan after being deemed a flight risk. He was charged with five felonies and owed $95,000 in child support back pay. If he had been convicted, he could have been sentenced to up to four years in prison.
According to TMZ, which broke the news, McCrary entered a no-contest plea deal for all of the charges.
“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.” McCrary’s lawyer, Paulette Loftin, said to TMZ. “The resolution reached today makes it clear that family does matter and that it always has.”
McCrary called the charges a “misunderstanding” after he was arrested, claiming that he did not receive his June court order date in the mail because it was sent to his P.O. box instead of his residence, and missed his appointment as a result.
McCrary was divorced from his ex-wife, Harlem Globetrotter Tammy Brawner, in 2019. The couple has a daughter named Zoey, who was three at the time. During the divorce proceedings, Brawner accused the actor, best known for playing Eddie Winslow in the hit 90s sitcom, of dislocating Zoey’s arm when he was taking her to the bathroom, and of physical abuse toward both Zoey and herself.
Brawner was granted full legal and physical custody of their daughter, according to People. The court also ordered MCCrary to attend alcohol/drug abuse and batterers’ intervention classes within 12 months.
This is not the first time McCrary has been arrested for not paying child support. In 2015, a court in Oakland County, California, ordered him to either pay a $5,500 fine or spend 14 days in jail. He was released that same afternoon.
