James and Chico DeBarge were arrested on suspicion of drug possession after police stopped them towing an SUV with a strap and no license plates.
James and Chico DeBarge found themselves in trouble with the law after a bizarre late-night drive through Burbank, California, caught the attention of police.
According to NBC Los Angeles, officers spotted the R&B brothers around 1:30 a.m. Friday, Aug. 28, traveling in two SUVs connected by a tow strap. James DeBarge, 63, was reportedly behind the wheel of a Chevrolet Tahoe while his brother Chico, 60—whose legal first name is Jonathan—was inside the Nissan SUV being towed.
There was another obvious problem: Neither vehicle had a license plate.
Police pulled the brothers over and allegedly discovered narcotics, leading to both men being arrested on suspicion of possessing a controlled substance. Officers also said neither brother was wearing a seatbelt.
Chico was also booked on an outstanding warrant, although authorities have not disclosed what the warrant was for. Both SUVs were impounded.
Police have not identified the alleged narcotics or disclosed how much was recovered. NBC Los Angeles reported that it reached out to the brothers for comment but had not received a response.
The arrests bring two members of one of R&B’s most recognizable families back into the headlines for reasons far removed from their Motown heyday.
James was a member of DeBarge alongside his siblings during the group’s hugely successful run in the early 1980s. The family group scored hits including “I Like It,” “All This Love” and “Time Will Reveal,” before reaching an even bigger audience with 1985’s “Rhythm of the Night.”
James also made headlines for his brief marriage to Janet Jackson. The pair eloped in 1984, when Jackson was 18, but their marriage was annulled the following year.
Chico launched his solo career in 1986 and later addressed his own struggles with substance addiction, including on his 2009 album Addiction. He had previously served prison time on drug charges.
The DeBarge family’s incredible musical legacy has long existed alongside a painful history of abuse, addiction and personal turmoil—making these latest arrests another troubling chapter in a complicated family story.
Chico DeBarge & His Brother James Arrested On Drug Charges was originally published on cassiuslife.com
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