California governor pardons Robert Downey Jr. for 1990s drug conviction

California Governor Jerry Brown on Thursday pardoned actor Robert Downey Jr. for drug and weapon offences committed in the 1990s, following the entertainer's request for clemency. Downey was convicted in 1996 of possession of a controlled substance, carrying a concealed weapon in a vehicle with a prior conviction, driving under the influence with prior convictions and being under the influence of a controlled substance, according to the governor's pardon. Downey served one year and three months in prison and several years on parole and probation, with his case discharged in 2002 after he completed the terms of his sentence.