DeBarge Member Busted for Meth Possession, Police Say

Chico DeBarge, a member of the DeBarge band during its final years, was arrested for drug possession earlier this month and had his motorhome impounded. Police reportedly found methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia inside DeBarge’s motorhome, sources told TMZ. The “Talk to Me” singer has struggled with addiction in recent years, and this was his second drug possession arrest of 2021.

Police were called on Nov. 6 to respond to a report of a man causing a disturbance inside a motorhome, law enforcement sources told TMZ. When they arrived, they found DeBarge, 55, inside. They also discovered that the registration for the motorhome expired over six months ago. Police impounded the vehicle and allegedly found drug paraphernalia inside. He was arrested and booked for “possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.” He was released from custody with a promise to appear citation.

This was DeBarge’s fourth arrest on drug possession since 2007. He was also arrested in November 2019 and January 2021. When he was arrested in Burbank, California in January, police told TMZ he did not have an ID with him. He told police he was his older brother, James DeBarge, who was also a member of the family’s group. Police stopped him because he was driving a car without headlights on at night and didn’t have license plates. DeBarge had two female passengers and police allegedly found methamphetamines and heroin on him while searching the vehicle.

The DeBarge group was made up of siblings El, Mark, Randy, Bunny, and James during their most active years with Motown in the late 1970s and 1980s. DeBarge joined the group in 1988 after they released their final studio album. Before joining his family’s group, he had his own hits with Motown in the mid-1980s, with his biggest being the 1986 single “Talk to Me.” He also had hits with “The Girl Next Door,” “Kiss Serious” and “I’ve Been Watching You.” His solo career stalled when he was convicted on drug charges. He resumed his career in the mid-1990s but has not released an album since 2009’s Addiction.

In April, DeBarge’s son Dontae Anderson-DeBarge, 35, was stabbed to death in Los Angeles. “Per Sgt. Fisher, Van Nuys Area Watch Commander, a homicide occurred at the above location. The victim (M/B/35 yrs) was found with multiple stab wounds,” the Los Angeles Police Department told EurWeb. “He was pronounced deceased at the scene by LAFD.There is no suspect information.The victim is homeless.It is unknown if it is gang-related.”