Troubled actor Robert Downey Jr. has struck a tentative deal with prosecutors that would keep him out of prison after a drug bust late last year. If the actor pleads no contest to felony and misdemeanour drug charges in court on July 16, he will remain in 24-hour rehab for up to a year, which means no more acting for the time being.
“There’s basically a deal worked out,” says James Epstein, a member of Robert’s legal team. “The exact amount of rehab time has not been worked out. That may depend upon the rehab itself.”
The state corrections officials in charge of the 36-year-old’s fate have taken a decidedly pro-treatment approach to his future. California recently passed Proposition 36, an initiative that calls for detox treatment instead of prison time for many offenders. “One thing we want to make clear is we don’t treat Downey any different than any other parolee,” said a spokeswoman for the Department of Corrections. “In light of Proposition 36, rather than sending them back to prison, we try to work it out in the community, which is what we’re doing in this case.”
The brilliant actor has had a very public battle with drugs over the last five years. In 1996, police found cocaine, heroin and a gun in his car after he was stopped by police for speeding. A month later, he was found asleep in a neighbour’s house and was hospitalised at a substance abuse treatment centre. And then, in August 1999, the star, who was nominated for an Oscar for his performance in the bio-pic Chaplin, was sentenced to three years in jail for violating his probation. He was released a year later on bail.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
