Indio Downey, the son of Robert Downey Jr., will no longer have a drug conviction following him around for the rest of his life. A Los Angeles judge dismissed the conviction of cocaine possession and wiped his guilty plea from his criminal record.
Judge Lauren Weis Birstein made her decision based on Indio's successful completion of an 18-month treatment program. He spent 90 days in a rehab facility and has remained sober since leaving.
"I would like to say I am truly grateful for the experience I had over the last 20 months in recovery," Indio told the judge. "I'm so blessed to have my life back. I hope to be an inspiration to work with others in the future."
The "Iron Man" star's son was arrested in 2014 in West Hollywood and his father sat in the courtroom as Indio pleaded guilty to one felony count of possession of a controlled substance and a misdemeanor count of possession of a smoking device.
The 50-year-old actor has famously struggled with addiction for most of his life. He spent the late 1990s in and out of rehab facilities and prison before finally getting sober in 2003.
At the time of Indio's arrest, his father thanked the arresting officers and cited genetics as a contributing factor to his son's drug addiction.
"Unfortunately there's a genetic component to addiction and Indio has likely inherited it," Downey Jr. 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."
He added, "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."
California Gov. Jerry Brown recently wiped the slate clean for Downey Jr. as well, awarding him a full pardon for his past drug convictions on Christmas Eve 2015. The pardon didn't expunge his criminal record but it will allow the Marvel star to vote again.
"By completion of his sentence and good conduct in the community of his residence since his release, Robert John Downey, Jr. has paid his debt to society and earned a full and unconditional pardon."
Downey Jr. also has two younger children - son, Exton Elias and daughter, Avri Roel - with his wife, Susan Downey.
