Detroit Radio Stars John Mason and Angie Starr Ordered to Jail for Contempt of Court

Detroit radio stars John Mason and Angie Starr were held in contempt of court this week and ordered jailed in a civil suit over unpaid debts, but they avoided jail time by paying up.

Wayne County Circuit Judge Daphne Means Curtis ordered Mason and Starr to the Wayne County Jail on a contempt charge after they failed to comply with a subpoena in a case dating to 2008, court records show.

Mason and Starr entered into an agreement with Willie Brake and Nathaniel Brooks in which the two men loaned the radio stars money for a New Year’s Eve party in Detroit that year, according to court records. Brake and Brooks were to be repaid portions of the profits, the records indicate. Apparently, the party didn’t make the money it was expected to raise, and Brake and Brooks sued to recoup their investment in October 2009.

Brooks and Brake won a judgment of $10,085. Some of the money was repaid, but on Thursday, Means Curtis held Mason and Starr — whose real names are Ernest Wooten and Angela High — in contempt and ordered them jailed. If the remaining debt of $4,126.74 was paid in full, they would be released from jail, the judge ordered.

Neither Mason nor Starr could be reached immediately for comment today. But Mason — who is also the public-address announcer for the Detroit Pistons and famous for calls such as “Deeeee-troit Bask-et-ball!” — told WDIV-TV (Channel 4) that they avoided jail time by paying up on the debt Thursday. He said both he and Starr had been making payments through wage garnishment.