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American Morning

Robert Downey Jr. Back in Court Today

Aired May 24, 2001 - 11:41   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Actor Robert Downey Jr. is back inside of a courtroom in Southern California today.

For more on that, let's go to our Frank Buckley, who is standing by in Indio, California -- Frank, good morning.

FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Daryn, we are outside the Riverside County administrative building here in Indio. We can take you inside one of the courtrooms here in Department 1-B, where Robert Downey Jr., the actor, is about to appear before Judge Randall White on charges related to an arrest here in the Palm Springs area that occurred November -- late November, the Thanksgiving day weekend -- Downey expected to plead not guilty to a reduced charge now of carrying Valium or possession of Valium, a misdemeanor rather than a felony.

We are expecting that to occur any time now. We can show you earlier when Downey arrived to give you a sense of the level of anticipation and interest in this. As Downey alighted from his vehicle here in the parking lot, he was met by a crowd of photographers and reporters as he approached the building -- many people very interested in Robert Downey Jr. and what is happening with him.

This is the first time that we've seen him in public since late April when he was arrested in a separate drug-related case in Culver City, where police said that he was under the influence -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Frank, could this charge send him back to prison?

BUCKLEY: It could. If this in fact goes to trial -- which, so far, it appears to be headed in that direction -- it could end in jail time. Potentially, before this one Valium possession charge was reduced to a misdemeanor, he was looking at four years and eight months.

It isn't clear, if, in fact, with this new reduced charge, if, in fact, he does pleads not guilty to that and they do go to trial and there is a conviction, we don't know exactly what the length of a potential jail term would be.

KAGAN: Still a lot of "ifs" right now -- right now.

Frank Buckley in Indio, thank you. TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com