El Debarge Arrested for Drug Possession

By Myles Collier, Christian Post Contributor Thursday, March 22, 2012

A Grammy winning singer has been arrested for possession of narcotics with intent to distribute in southern California on Monday.

The singer, El DeBarge, was processed Monday for the alleged crime, according to a spokesperson for the Los Angeles Police Department.

According to police, the three-time Grammy-nominee was one of two suspects arrested after police discovered narcotics, which were later recovered near Los Angeles' White Oak Avenue and the 101 Freeway.

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Undercover narcotics officers were conducting an investigation near the location when they observed El DeBarge and another individual acting suspiciously, according to LAPD spokeswoman Norma Eisenman.

Officers recovered narcotics from an area where DeBarge had been standing, Eisenman said.

DeBarge's was released after he posted the $30,000 for bail, police said. The second suspect, Curtis Freeman, was arrested for attempted possession and had his bail set at $10,000.

This was not the first time that DeBarge has had an encounter with the police. He has been arrested several times since he was placed on probation in 2001 for cocaine possession.

DeBarge's attorney, Spencer Vodnoy, stated that he was not convinced that DeBarge was involved after the initial booking charge of possession with intent to distribute due to his client's struggle with drug use.

"The DeBarge family is very close knit and have had their struggles with substance abuse," Vodnoy said. "They will do what they always have done, which is to support their sibling through this."

El DeBarge is best known for the Grammy-winning song "Rhythm of the Night" in the mid-1980s while he was part of his family's group DeBarge. He has had a public battle with substance abuse for a majority of his career.

The "Rhythm of the Night" singer was spotted embracing Whitney Houston at a Hollywood nightclub just days before Houston's death on Feb. 11, according to TMZ. DeBarge also attended the 54th Grammy Awards on Feb. 12.