Downey Hearing Postponed

By Stephen M. Silverman

04/01/1998 at 12:00 AM EST

Riverside County (Calif.) Superior Court Judge Randall White on Monday morning postponed Robert Downey Jr.'s scheduled hearing on charges related to a drug-related bust last November because the actor is in rehab following last week's arrest. Downey's new court date for the November incident is May 24, reports Reuters. Downey, who had been released from prison last August after serving time for drug use, was arrested over Thanksgiving weekend in his posh Merv Griffin resort hotel suite and charged with possessing cocaine and the prescription drug Valium. Last week, the "Ally McBeal" star, 36, was arrested by police outside a $45-per-night motel in a L.A. suburb on suspicion of taking drugs. He later checked into a drug detoxification facility.