Downey: Felony Charges

California prosecutors officially filed felony drug charges yesterday against actor Robert Downey Jr.. following his Thanksgiving weekend arrest at a resort hotel in Palm Springs. The Riverside County district attorney charged the “Ally McBeal” star, 35, with felony possession of cocaine, felony possession of the prescription anti-anxiety drug diazepam and a misdemeanor count of being under the influence of a controlled substance. Each felony count could bring three years in prison, and he could receive an additional year’s sentence for a previous felony drug conviction. The actor is set to plead not guilty to all charges when he is arraigned Dec. 27, his lawyers have told reporters. The attorneys are also continuing their investigation “regarding the circumstances of Mr. Downey’s arrest,” Downey’s publicist said in a brief statement Monday. Police, acting upon an anonymous phone tip, moved in on Downey in his hotel room on Nov. 25. In this week’s PEOPLE cover story, Downey’s stepmother, Rosemary Rogers Downey, tells the magazine that the actor was diagnosed with bipolar disorder syndrome and has not received help for it. “It’s the reason he has a hard time staying sober,” she says. “What hasn’t been tried is medication and intensive psychotherapy.”