El DeBarge Narrowly Escapes Drug Charges
Singer El DeBarge will not face drug possession charges with intent to distribute after the Los Angeles county district attorney's office declined to file charges.
According to official documents submitted by the district attorney, the case was not pursued due to insufficient evidence.
The entertainment website TMZ first reported that the Grammy-winning singer was arrested on Tuesday for felony possession of narcotics with intent to sell, which would have been the singer's third drug arrest since 2001.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
The official police report details that police originally noticed DeBarge and another man talking on the side of the street. The officers then approached the men and proceeded to search both of them without stating the reason for the search.
After the two men were searched the police did not find anything. The report then states that the officers searched the nearby area and found a bag of crack cocaine which was hidden underneath a parked car.
The man that was seen with El DeBarge told police that he was there to purchase the narcotics from the singer, but DeBarge refuted the accusation.
The district attorney's office, considering all the evidence and testimony, decided that there was not enough to proceed and dropped the charges.
DeBarge's attorney, Spencer Vodnoy, stated that he was not convinced DeBarge was involved after the initial booking charge of possession with intent to distribute.
"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 the 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.
