Indio Downey is shown at a 2011 event. Robert Downey Jr.'s son will be arraigned on August 29 on a drug possession charge.

Story highlights

Indio Falconer Downey was arrested during a West Hollywood traffic stop in June

The elder Downey had much-publicized issues with drug addiction in the 1990s

"There's a genetic component to addiction and Indio has likely inherited it," actor's rep says

Los Angeles CNN  — 

The 20-year-old son of actor Robert Downey Jr. has been charged with felony drug possession, the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office said.

Indio Falconer Downey, 20, will be arraigned on August 29 on one felony count of possession of a controlled substance, cocaine, and a misdemeanor count of possession of drug paraphernalia, a coke pipe, said spokesman Ricardo Santiago.

Downey was arrested after a Los Angeles sheriff’s deputy stopped a vehicle in which he was a passenger in West Hollywood in June, according to West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station Sgt. Dave Valentine.

“Downey was found to be in possession of what officers believed to be cocaine as well as a smoking pipe,” Valentine said.

Robert Downey Jr.’s representative released a statement that week saying the actor was “grateful to the Sheriff’s department for their intervention.”

“Unfortunately there’s a genetic component to addiction and Indio has likely inherited it,” the rep said.

“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.”

The elder Downey had several well-publicized issues with drug addiction in the 1990s. He went through treatment a number of times, including a year in the California Substance Abuse Treatment Facility and State Prison, before finally getting clean in 2001.

Indio Downey is the son of Downey and his first wife, Deborah Falconer. Downey and Falconer divorced in 2004 after almost 12 years of marriage.

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