Singer El DeBarge Arrested in Encino on Drug Charges

Singer El DeBarge was arrested in Encino on suspicion of drug possession with intent to sell, authorities said Wednesday.

The Grammy-winning singer, who is 50, was arrested on Monday and booked that afternoon under the name of Eldra Patrick DeBarge, according to police and the sheriff's department. He was held until posting $30,000 bail and being released at 4:37 a.m. Tuesday, according to the sheriff's department.

Los Angeles police Officer Wendy Reyes said DeBarge was arrested after officers from the West Valley Station saw a possible narcotics transaction at White Oak Avenue north of the Ventura (101) Freeway.

The officers allegedly recovered narcotics from an area where DeBarge had been standing, Reyes said. Police also arrested Curtis Freeman and booked him on suspicion of attempted narcotics possession, Reyes said.

DeBarge attorney Spencer Vodnoy told the Los Angeles Times that he was skeptical about the booking charge of possession for sale, given his client's struggle with drug use.

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

DeBarge is best known for the Grammy-winning song ``Rhythm of the Night'' in the mid-1980s.

–City News Service