INDIO, Calif. – Actor Robert Downey Jr. pleaded innocent Thursday to reduced drug charges stemming from his arrest last November in a Palm Springs hotel.
The 36-year-old actor walked into the Riverside County courtroom wearing amber-tinted glasses and a conservative blue suit but didn't speak during the hearing. Downey's attorney, Robert Waters, entered a not guilty plea on behalf of his client, denying all allegations. Downey is scheduled to return to court on July 16.
Downey faces one felony count of possessing cocaine and one misdemeanor count of being under the influence of a controlled substance. Prosecutors reduced another charge of possessing Valium from a felony to a misdemeanor.
Downey was arrested Thanksgiving weekend at Merv Griffin's Resort Hotel and Givenchy Spa. Authorities allegedly found the drugs in his hotel room after receiving an anonymous call.
The actor was arrested in a Culver City alley last month and was booked for investigation of being under the influence of drugs. Tests reveal Downey had traces of cocaine in his system.
Prosecutors have said that arrest will be handled as a parole violation. It also cost him his role on TV's Ally McBeal, for which he won a Golden Globe earlier this year.
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