Brad Renfro enters drug rehab program

Lawyer: Arraignment postponed on heroin charge due to treatment

Jennifer Graylock / AP	Brad Renfro 's attorney, Richard Kaplan, said outside court that his client is "doing fine" in the program and will return to court Jan. 18 for his arraignment.

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updated 6:34 p.m. ET Dec. 30, 2005

LOS ANGELES - Brad Renfro had his arraignment on a drug charge postponed Friday because he has entered a full-time drug rehabilitation program, his lawyer said.

The actor's lawyer, Richard Kaplan, said outside court that his client is "doing fine" in the program and will return to court Jan. 18 for his arraignment. He remains free after posting $10,000 bail.

Renfro, 23, was arrested Dec. 22 during a drug bust near Skid Row and was charged with a felony count of attempting to possess heroin.

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If convicted, he could avoid prison because a 2000 law requires that first- and second-time nonviolent drug offenders be sent to treatment programs instead, Jane Robison, a district attorney's spokeswoman, has said.

Renfro's screen credits include roles in "Ghost World," "Bully" and "The Jacket." He was discovered as a child and cast in 1994's "The Client."

Kaplan's request for a delay of arraignment wasn't opposed by Deputy District Attorney Thomas McGowan. Superior Court Commissioner James Bianco granted it after a conference with lawyers.

Renfro has had a series of run-ins with the law. He was charged in 1998 with cocaine and marijuana possession, but avoided jail time in a plea deal. He also has been charged for allegedly trying to steal a yacht in Florida in August 2000 and for underage drinking.