Downey may escape return to prison

A plea bargain is in the works to prevent Robert Downey Jr. from returning to prison on drug-related charges, Reuters reported. Prosecutors said after Downey‘s Thursday court appearance in Indio, Calif., that they were discussing a deal with the former Ally McBeal star’s laywers. Downey pleaded not guilty to charges related to a November arrest on misdemeanor possession of the prescription drug Valium and felony possession of cocaine. He was arrested in a Palm Springs hotel soon after he completed a one-year prison sentence stemming from a drug-related conviction. He reportedly violated his parole last month after he was arrested on a charge of suspicion of being under the influence of cocaine. Downey, who checked himself into a rehabilitation center following the April arrest, appeared at Thursday’s court hearing.