Downey to plead no contest to drug charges

Actor Robert Downey Jr. will plead no contest on Monday to drug charges in a plea bargain that will allow him to continue live-in drug treatment, rather than face jail time, Reuters reports.

His lawyer told Reuters that Downey, 36, will appear in court in Indio, California, on Monday on charges related to his Nov. 25 arrest in Palm Springs for cocaine use. Prosecutors and Downey's lawyers struck a deal last month, under which the actor is expected to be sentenced to at least a year in the live-in drug treatment program and three years probation. Downey will plead no contest to a felony count for cocaine possession and a misdemeanor count for being under the influence of the drug, his lawyers have said.

Downey has been in a residential drug rehabilitation program since a second arrest, an April incident in the Los Angeles suburb of Culver City. Police arrested Downey in a back alley for suspected drug use and his urine later tested positive for cocaine, but prosecutors decided not to bring charges.

Attorney James Epstein told Reuters that Downey had been making "excellent" progress in the drug treatment program since then.