People: China indicts Jackie Chan’s son on drug charge
Chinese prosecutors on Monday indicted the son of Hong Kong action film star Jackie Chan on the charge of sheltering others to use drugs, more than four months after he was detained.
If convicted, singer-actor Jaycee Chan could be jailed for up to three years.
Chan, 32, was among a string of celebrities detained over the summer for vices such as drug use and hiring prostitutes, as Beijing vowed to clean up social morals.
The detention of Jaycee Chan has been particularly embarrassing for his father, who was named by Beijing as an anti-drug ambassador in 2009.
Beijing police detained the younger Chan at his Beijing apartment in August, along with Taiwanese movie star Ko Kai, and he has remained in detention since. Police said Chan and Ko both tested positive for marijuana and admitted using the drug.
Chan has never publicly contested the charge, and his father has openly apologized over his detention.
“Regarding this issue with my son Jaycee, I feel very angry and very shocked,” Jackie Chan wrote on his microblog in August. “As a public figure, I’m very ashamed. As a father, I’m heartbroken.”
Prosecutors from Beijing’s Dongcheng District announced the indictment in a one-line statement that did not mention when a trial would be held.
In June, Chinese President Xi Jinping declared that illegal drugs should be wiped out and that offenders should be severely punished. The crackdown snared more than 7,800 people in Beijing alone, according to police, and celebrities were targeted because of their influence over the public.
Jaycee Chan has appeared in several films and has released three albums.
Williams pleads not guilty of robbery
Katt Williams has pleaded not guilty to a robbery charge filed after a photographer accused the comedian of stealing her camera.
District attorney’s spokeswoman Shiara Davila-Morales said Williams entered the plea Wednesday and was ordered to return to court Feb. 3 for a scheduling hearing.
Williams was charged along with Death Row Records founder Suge Knight with taking the camera as the photographer tried to take a picture in Beverly Hills on Sept. 5. Knight has also pleaded not guilty to the charge.
The 43-year-old Williams has starred in several comedy specials and appeared in films. He could face up to seven years in prison if convicted.
The birthday bunch
Actor Caroll Spinney (Big Bird on TV’s “Sesame Street”) is 81. Record producer Phil Spector is 75. “America’s Most Wanted” host John Walsh is 69. Humorist David Sedaris is 58. Rock musician Lars Ulrich (Metallica) is 51. Actress Nadia Dajani is 49. Actor-singer Jared Leto is 43. Actress Kendra C. Johnson is 38. Actress Beth Behrs is 29. Actor Kit Harington (TV: “Game of Thrones”) is 28.