FELONY CHARGES FILED IN DOWNEY JR. CASE

Actor Could Face Many Years In Prison

REUTERS
LOS ANGELES, Dec. 11 - Felony drug charges were formally filed Monday
against actor Robert Downey Jr. stemming from his arrest last month at a
hotel in the California desert resort town of Palm Springs. Riverside
County prosecutors charged Downey with felony possession of cocaine, felony
possession of the prescription depressant diazepam and a misdemeanor count
of being under the influence of a controlled substance.

EACH FELONY COUNT carries a maximum sentence of three years in prison, and
the misdemeanor is punishable by up to a year in jail. In addition, Downey
could face an extra year in prison as a result of having served time on a
previous felony drug conviction.

The 35-year-old performer, who earned an Oscar nomination as best actor for
his 1992 film role in "Chaplin," was arrested Nov. 25 by Palm Springs
police responding to an anonymous telephone tip from a caller who claimed
there were guns and cocaine in the hotel room where Downey was staying.

Police said Downey invited officers into his room and consented to a search
that turned up a small quantity of drugs but no firearms, and the actor
tested positive for drug use. He was arrested that night and released on
$15,000 bail the following day.

Report: Downey using drugs for weeks

Downey's arrest came just three months after he had ended a year-long
prison stay for a previous cocaine possession conviction. He had entered a
rehabilitation program while renewing his acting career as a recurring
guest star on the popular Fox television series "Ally McBeal."

But Downey's latest legal problems apparently have cost him a role in an
upcoming movie project, "America's Sweethearts," directed by former Disney
studio chief Joe Roth and starring Julia Roberts, Catherine Zeta-Jones and
John Cusack.

Sources said last week that executives at Roth's production company,
Revolution Studios, were seeking to replace Downey with another actor for
the film, which starts shooting Jan. 10.

Downey is scheduled to appear for arraignment Dec. 27 on the new charges
against him. His lawyer has said the actor will plead not guilty.