The 'Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows' actor shows up in court to support his eldest son who pleads guilty to drug charges.
- Sep 13, 2014
AceShowbiz - Robert Downey Jr. appeared in court on Friday morning, September 12 to support his son, Indio Falconer Downey, who pleaded guilty to felony drug possession and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia. The arraignment was originally scheduled for August 29, but was delayed due to Indio's time in rehab treatment.
According to TMZ, judge was impressed by Indio after receiving a glowing letter from his rehab facility. In a video obtained by the site, the judge can be heard giving advice to Indio by referring to his father's famous superhero character, "I know in life people always look up to superheroes, but I think you might have contact or an inside as to one superhero - that's Iron Man."
The judge said the conviction would be dismissed if Indio stays clean and sober for 18 months and completes the program. Indio is also prohibited to make contact with drug dealers and users. Indio told the judge, "I appreciate this opportunity and I intend to make the most of it."
Indio was arrested in West Hollywood in late June after being spotted smoking pipe while he was a passenger in a car. At that time, Robert said in a statement, "Unfortunately there's a genetic component to addiction and Indio has likely inherited it. Also, there is a lot of family support and understanding, and we're all determined to rally behind him and help him become the man he's capable of being. We're grateful to the Sheriff's department for their intervention, and believe Indio can be another recovery success story instead of a cautionary tale."
Later in an interview with Vanity Fair, the "Iron Man" actor said of his son, "He's his mother's son and my son, and he's come up the chasm much quicker than we did. But that's typical in the Information Age; things get accelerated. You're confronted with histories and predispositions and influences and feelings and unspoken traumas or needs that weren't met, and all of a sudden you're three miles into the woods. Can you help someone get out of those woods? Yes, you can. By not getting lost looking for them." He adds after a pause, "Pick a dysfunction and it's a family problem."
