Downey’s Hearing on Drug Charges Delayed
A highly anticipated court hearing for actor Robert Downey Jr. was postponed Monday--but not before he appeared briefly in an Indio courtroom.
Downey, fresh off a surge of popularity and a Golden Globe award for his new role in the television series “Ally McBeal,” was arrested in late November at Merv Griffin’s Resort Hotel and Givenchy Spa in Palm Springs after an anonymous call to police.
Investigators found a pill bottle in Downey’s room, and he was charged with two felony counts of possession of cocaine and the tranquilizer diazepam, and one misdemeanor count of being under the influence of a controlled substance.
Downey has pleaded not guilty to drug charges, but attorneys and court officials suggested Monday that they will weigh a plea bargain before Downey’s next scheduled court appearance Feb. 21.
Riverside County Superior Court Judge B.J. Bjork urged defense attorneys and prosecutors to resolve the case.
This is not the actor’s first brush with drugs--nor the law. He was arrested on suspicion of drug possession, driving under the influence and carrying a concealed handgun in 1996, and later pleaded no contest to those charges. He was placed on probation and served time in jail and in rehab programs.
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