JUDGE CUTS DOWNEY SLACK

INDIO, Calif. - A judge went "out on a limb" for actor Robert Downey Jr.
yesterday, declaring him well on the road to sobriety and dismissing his
drug case.

The ruling by Riverside County Superior Court Judge Randall D. White brings
down the curtain on Downey's arrest during Thanksgiving weekend of 2000.

Downey completed one year of drug rehab after cops busted him with cocaine
inside his posh suite at a Palm Springs resort after an anonymous tipster
called police.

Prosecutors asked that the actor spend six more months on probation and in
an after-care program.

"I think you've learned a few things in the past year," White told Downey
before dismissing the case. "I'm going out on a limb for you."

Downey had pleaded no contest to one felony count of cocaine possession and
one misdemeanor count for being high on drugs.

But under a measure approved by California voters just weeks before
Downey's bust, non-violent drug offenders must be given the chance to
complete rehab rather than jail.

"He's giving me a shot. It's really nice to have the feeling you've
completed your obligations," Downey told reporters outside court.

Before court, Downey spoke to troubled kids at a local juvenile hall, his
lawyer said. He was greeted outside court by throngs of fans and he even
kissed one woman as he was led to his car.

Downey is still on parole for previous drug convictions in Los Angles Country.

He will still be tested for drugs twice a month and parole officers have to
approve his employment and where he chooses to live.

Downey currently lives in Los Angeles with a full-time drug counselor, his
lawyer said.

Prosecutors feared that the Oscar-nominated actor could relapse if thrown
too quickly into the entertainment world.

"Returning to the lions den can be dangerous," said Deputy D.A. Kevin Shek.

But Downey later said Hollywood has grown geared more toward recovery than
drug use.

"When I came here in my teens it was very much a vogue and it was all kinds
of partying," he said. "It's not like that anymore. It's a lot more
straight-laced and they're not interested in people who are not willing to
show up and be healthy."