ACTOR RELEASED FROM PRISON FOR PROBATION VIOLATION

Downey Still Faces Other Drug Charges

MALIBU (AP) -- The judge who ordered Robert Downey Jr. to prison for
violating probation in an earlier drug case ruled yesterday that the actor
served enough time behind bars.

Superior Court Judge Lawrence J. Mira also told the Oscar-nominated star of
"Chaplin" that the hearing to "re-evaluate credits on time served" had
nothing to do with a pending drug case in Riverside County.

Looking at Downey, who wore a gray blazer, Mira wished the actor good luck.

Downey was charged Dec. 11 with two felony drug counts and a misdemeanor
stemming from his Thanksgiving weekend arrest at a Palm Springs resort.
He'll be arraigned Dec. 27 in Indio.

If convicted, Downey faces a maximum of six years in state prison on the
felonies and a year in a Riverside County jail on the misdemeanor.

The actor didn't speak to reporters when he left the courthouse after
yesterday's brief hearing.

Last August, Downey was released from the state prison in Corcoran after
the 2nd District Appellate Court agreed with defense lawyers that there was
an error in calculating the length of his sentence.

Downey was arrested Nov. 25 after an anonymous 911 call led police
investigators to a room at Merv Griffin's Resort Hotel and Givenchy Spa.
The police allegedly found Downey with cocaine and methamphetamine.

After Downey's arrest last month, his publicist assessed his client's
situation.

"He's a recovering addict. Recovering addicts have relapses. He's working
hard at his sobriety as he has for the last 18 months," publicist Alan
Nierob said.

Downey has had a recurring role on "Ally McBeal" since his release from
prison. His other film credits include "Less Than Zero," "Natural Born
Killers," "One Night Stand," "Two Girls and a Guy" and "U.S. Marshals."