Actor’s Drug Hearing Delayed

Actor Brad Renfro, who was charged with attempted felony drug possession after his Dec. 22 arrest in a police sting on skid row, will be arraigned next month because he is undergoing drug rehabilitation, his lawyer said Friday.

Renfro, who was to be arraigned Friday, remained free on $10,000 bond as Los Angeles County Superior Court Commissioner James Bianco rescheduled the arraignment to Jan. 18.

Lawyers for both sides agreed to the delay, which Sandi Gibbons, spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office, said was not unusual.

Attorney Richard Kaplan, who is representing the 23-year-old actor, said Renfro is doing well and “looks forward to doing whatever is necessary to take care of his personal and legal issues.”

Renfro, who has appeared in such films as “The Client,” “Apt Pupil” and “Ghost World,” was taken into custody after he allegedly tried to buy heroin from undercover officers. He was one of 14 people arrested in the LAPD operation targeting drug dealing along South Broadway between 3rd and 14th streets. According to narcotics detectives, the area accounts for up to 20% of all drug crimes in the city and attracts addicts from as far as Ventura and Orange counties.

The Dec. 22 arrests raised the year’s drug bookings in and around skid row to more than 6,000.