Judge orders arrest of Bobby Brown

updated 5:07 p.m. ET Oct. 2, 2006

CANTON, Mass. - Being Bobby Brown ain’t easy these days.

A family judge ordered the singer arrested if he steps foot in Massachusetts after Brown failed to show for a hearing Monday over delinquent child support payments.

Brown’s attorney said it’s a “very difficult time” for Brown, 37, whose tumultuous marriage to Whitney Houston is coming to an end. She filed for a legal separation earlier this month.

“Whether or not he’s going through a divorce doesn’t negate the fact that he still owes child support relative to his two children that he had prior to his marriage,” said Norfolk Probate and Family Court Judge Paula Carey.

Kim Ward, of Stoughton, the mother of two of Brown’s children, says Brown owes two months’ support, or $11,000.

In June 2004, Brown was sentenced to 90 days in prison for missing three months of payments. That sentence was immediately suspended after Brown made back payments totaling about $15,000.

Brown’s attorney, Phaedra Parks, would not say where Brown, a Boston native, is currently living.

“It’s just a very difficult time for him, as you can well imagine,” said Parks, an Atlanta-based entertainment lawyer. “The media is very aware of this very public divorce that’s going on right now. It’s unfortunate we find ourselves back in Boston on this matter.”

Brown gained fame as a member of New Edition and for his 1988 hit solo album.

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