Star-Struck Justice

This is Hollywood, true enough. Name-dropping and who-do-you-know routines are common. But surely it’s not too much to ask that our judges and sheriff’s deputies at least appear less star-struck than the average Universal Studios tourist.

Happily for Robert Downey Jr., he’s come before a judge who seems to worry a lot about the actor’s filming schedule, and he’s been handled by deputies who allegedly liked to pal around with him while they were supposed to be guarding him. Downey is the onetime Academy Award nominee whose life went into free fall in 1996. His record that year included pleading no contest to felony drug and weapons counts, an arrest when he was found unconscious in a neighbor’s home and a third arrest after he skipped out of a required treatment program.

For the average Joe, this would have spelled ruin, pure and simple. But the lesson learned here was this: Abuse illegal drugs, break the law and watch your career soar. Malibu Municipal Judge Lawrence Mira is the judge on the case. He allowed Downey out to host an episode of television’s “Saturday Night Live.” Within weeks of that appearance, Downey was allowed to do an interview from his treatment facility for “Prime Time Live.”

Mira seemed to talk tough last December when he sentenced Downey to six months in jail for violating his parole the second time. But the judge has twice since then allowed Downey out of jail for studio work at Warner Bros. and Paramount Studios, citing preexisting commitments. This week, Mira approved two more releases, despite strong and well-reasoned objections by prosecutors and the county Sheriff’s Department.

Sheriff Sherman Block is reportedly incensed over the matter. And no wonder: There are also allegations that Downey’s deputy escorts, paid for by Downey, solicited autographs, posed for photos and ate at a studio commissary. While driving the actor to appointments their car was involved in a fender bender that led to complaints from Downey about neck pain. What’s wrong with this picture? Why was he out of jail in the first place? The sheriff’s office has said it will appeal the judge’s release order, and it should.

This case sends precisely the wrong message to those who are trying to make the right choice about staying away from drugs and abiding by the law. Having to go to jail does tend to interfere with one’s work schedule. Filming deadlines should not be a consideration in determining the punishment of a repeat offender.